University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  OLD 
JERUSALEM  GOSPEL 


Twenty-nine  Sermons  Repre- 
sentative of  the  Faith  of  the 


Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter  Day  Saints 


BY 

ELDER  JOSEPH  LUFF 


"And  this  gospel    of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for 
witness  unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come."    Jesus. 


LAMONI,    IOWA 

HERALD  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 
1912 


PREFACE. 

No  apology  is  offered  for  the  issuance  of  this 
work,  for  none  is  needed.  The  world  knows,  alas! 
too  little  of  the  faith  of  the  people  its  contents  are 
intended  to  represent. 

Hundreds  of  volumes,  o±  varying  dimensions, 
have  been  published  regarding  the  Latter  Day 
Saints  by  persons  either  pitiably  ignorant  of  their 
faith  or  censurably  vicious  and  unscrupulous.  As 
a  result  falsehood  or  misrepresentation  has  tinc- 
tured those  publications  throughout,  and  the  little 
struggling  church  has  been  a  sufferer  at  the  hands 
of  a  world  kept  blind  by  such  means. 

For  thirty-two  years  the  author  of  this  work 
has  been  a  preacher  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Reor- 
ganized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  -and  this  volume  is  simply  the  pulpit  from 
which  he  delivers,  in  his  simple  way,  a  discourse 
upon  each  of  the  subjects  named.  No  merit,  other 
than  truth  and  plainness,  is  claimed  for  their  matter 
and  formulation.  His  humble  prayer  accompanies 
them  that  they  may  prove  the  vehicles  of  light  and 
soul-satisfaction  to  many,  that  thus  God  and  his 
only-begotten  Son  may  have  honor  and  glory. 

Let  no  one  be  debarred  from  reading  under  the 
impression  that  this  volume  is  a  feeder  for  Utah 
Mormonism,  for  neither  the  preacher  nor  the 
church  he  represents  has  any  affiliation  with  that 
body,  nor  are  they  believers  in  the  doctrines  that 
have  made  that  body  obnoxious  to  the  moral  sense 
of  the  world. 

JOSEPH  LUFF. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Preface 5 

Fatherhood  of  God  and  Brotherhood  of  Man 7 

Unchangeable  and   Impartial    (Parables) 23 

The  Modern  Stumbling-Stone 35 

All  or  None 58 

Repentance— What  is  It? 65 

Is  Water  Baptism  Essential  to  Salvation?  74 

The  Laying  On  of  Hands 86 

How?     and  Why?     (Questions  and  Answers) 93 

The  Office-Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 105 

Authority  from  God — Is  it  Essential? 114 

A  Living  Church 131 

Apostasy  of  the  Ancient  Christian  Church 143 

Restoration  of  the  Gospel   154 

Antiquity  of  Christianity    164 

The  Eleventh  Hour — The  Last  Dispensation  Preceding  the 

Judgment 171 

Does  Death  End  All?   182 

Resurrection  of  the  Dead   1 99 

Eternal  Judgment 211 

Probation  after  Death 217 

The  Book  of  Mormon   233 

Wounded  in  the  House  of  His  Friends 250 

Christ  at  a  Discount    259 

The  Kingdom  of  God   267 

Who  May  Enter  the  Kingdom? 272 

Many  Ways,  or  One?   278 

No   Doctrine,    No   Christ 288 

When  Will  Christ  Come?    294 

Prayer    298 

Light  and  Condemnation   305 


Fatherhood  of  God  and  Brotherhood  of  Man. 


For  we  are  also  his  offspring. — Acts  17 :  28. 
All  ye  are  brethren.  .  .  .  One  is  your  Father,  which  is  in 
heaven. — Matthew  23 :  8,  9. 

For  the  contents  of  the  Bible  we  of  to-day  are  in 
no  sense  responsible;  the  Book  was  here  before  we 
came.  Only  for  the  treatment  it  receives  at  our 
hands  can  we  be  held  accountable.  Pleasing  or 
painful,  winning  or  repelling,  rigorous  or  lenient 
as  its  aspect  and  implied  requirements  may  appear, 
they  must  for  ever  stand  to  us,  severally,  as  the 
expression  of  whatever  will  we  perceive  behind 
them.  To  modify  its  phraseology  will  in  no  sense 
affect  the  fixedness  of  whatever  purpose  it  was 
intended  to  serve.  To  modernize  its  recommenda- 
tions will  not  release  us  from  whatever  of  obliga- 
tion they  were  intended  anciently  to  impose. 

Between  it  and  us  human  creeds  may  interpose 
to  relieve  us  from  the  arbitrary  force  of  its  decrees, 
but  when  these  creeds  are  dead,  this  law  will  live, 
and  we  in  future  days  may  sadly  find  that  we 
have  not  escaped,  but  simply  deferred,  arraign- 
ment before  its  inexorable  bar.  It  may  be,  too,  that 
what  we  then  shall  lack  will  tell  the  tale  of  blessings 
missed  between  the  now  and  then,  because  of  such 
postponement. 


8  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

We  approach  this  Book  to-day  with  reverential 
feeling,  for  to  us  it  tells  the  will  of  Heaven.  Its 
story  is  the  God  revealment.  Hence, 

"Where  its  voice  is  heard  all  controversy  dies, 
And  human  skill  is  wasted  that  aims  at  compromise." 

Anxious  to  know  our  origin,  our  mission,  and  our 
destiny,  we  consult  its  pages.  It  is  important  that 
we  shall  know  what  part  in  life's  great  drama  our 
Creator  intended  or  desired  we  should  play,  that 
thus  performing  we*  may  stand  acquitted  finally 
and  gain  promotion  at  his  hand.  Life  can  be  a  suc- 
cess only  in  so  far  as  this  purpose  is  served.  Hence 
we  ask: 

1.  To  whom  are  we  indebted  for  present  exist- 
ence, and  what  are  our  Creator's  attributes? 

2.  What  is  our  heritage  here  under  his  design? 

3.  Upon  what  conditions  is  the  enjoyment  of  our 
heritage  dependent? 

Opening  the  book,  our  first  question  is  answered 
in  plainness: 

God  that  made  the  world  and  all  things  therein,  seeing 
that  he  is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  .  .  .  hath  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times  before  appointed, 
and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation. — Acts  17 :  24-26. 

Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven. — Matthew  6 :  9. 

Have  we  not  all  one  Father?  hath  not  one  God  created 
us?— Malachi  2:  10. 

But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father,  of  whom  are 
all  things,  and  we  in  him. — 1  Corinthians  8:  6. 

One  God  and  Father  of  all. — Ephesians  4 :  6. 

For  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not. — Malachi  3 :  6. 

Every   good   gift   and   every   perfect   gift   is   from   above, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  9 

and  cometh  down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is 
no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning. — James  1:  17. 

For  there  is  no  respect  of  persons  with  God. — Romans 
2:  11.  (Also  see  1  Peter  1:  17;  Acts  10:  34.) 

Three  points  are  thus  settled;  namely,  God  is 
our  Father,  he  is  unchangeable,  he  is  impartial,  or 
no  respecter  of  persons. 

Faith  in  these  declarations  pledges  us  to  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  common  fatherhood  of  God 
and  brotherhood  of  man.  It  fastens  upon  him  the 
responsibility  of  our  existence  as  to  time  and  place, 
as  fully  as  it  does  the  existence  of  Paul,  or  Moses, 
or  Abraham,  and  their  surroundings,  for  it  declares 
that  he  "determined  the  times  before  appointed  and 
the  bound  of  their  habitation,"  of  "all  that  dwell 
upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth."  In  view  of  this 
loreordination,  when  we  also  consent  to  the  fore- 
knowledge claimed  in  Isaiah  46 :  9,  10  and  Acts 
15 :  18,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  expect  that  a  Father 
who  never  intended  to  change,  and  who  was  no 
respecter  of  persons,  would  so  ordain  from  the 
start  that  not  one  member  of  his  family  would 
ever  be  deprived  of  any  good  he  made  possible  for 
another.  We  are  justified  from  these  declarations 
in  looking  for  one  universal  provision  for  the  entire 
family;  so  far,  at  least,  as  relates  to  the  interests 
of  the  soul  he  had  assigned  a  tabernacle  here. 

It  is  with  gladness,  therefore,  that  we  hail  the 
announcement  of  Ecclesiastes  3 :  14,  15 : 

I  know  that,  whatsoever  God  doeth,  it  shall  be  for  ever: 
nothing  can  be  put  to  it,  nor  anything  taken  from  it:  and 
God  doeth  it,  that  men  shall  fear  before  him.  That  which 


10  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

hath  been  is  now;    and  that  which  is  to  be  hath  already 
been;    and  God  requireth  that  which  is  past. 

God's  original  gospel  provision  was  com- 
mensurate with  the  moral  exigencies  of  the  race, 
and  neither  time  nor  circumstance  has  ever 
increased  or  decreased  human  necessity  in  that 
direction.  "That  which  hath  been  is  now;  and  that 
which  is  to  be  hath  already  been;  and  God  requir- 
eth" and  always  will  require  of  men  the  same:  as  he 
required  in  the  past,  as  a  condition  upon  which 
his  infinite  provision  shall  cover  those  necessities. 
We  have  neither  need  nor  disposition  to  apologize 
for  the  character  of  that  original,  ancient,  divine 
provision.  If  it  represented  God  once,  it  must  rep- 
resent him  for  ever,  for  he  can  not  change.  "Noth- 
ing can  be  put  to  it,  nor  anything  taken  from  it," 
for  with  any  addition  to  it  or  subtraction  'from  it, 
it  would  cease  to  represent  his  invariable  mind. 
To  lessen  its  obligations  or  increase  its  exactions 
would  indicate  a  "respect  of  persons,"  which  his 
eternal  fatherhood  is  not  chargeable  with  according 
to  the  Book. 

Again  we  open  the  Book,  and  in  answer  to  our 
second  question  read: 

Because  ye  are  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of 
his  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father. — Galatians 
4:6. 

Ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  prom- 
ise is  unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are 
afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call. — Acts 
2:38,  39. 

The  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to 
profit  withal.  For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of 
wisdom;  to  another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  11 

Spirit;  to  another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the 
gifts  of  healing  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  working 
of  miracles;  to  another  prophecy;  to  another  discerning  oi 
spirits;  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues;  to  another  the 
interpretation  of  tongues:  but  all  these  worketh  that  one 
and  the  selfsame  Spirit,  dividing  to  every  man  severally  as 
he  will.— 1  Corinthians  12 :  7-11. 

These  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe:  In  my  name 
shall  they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues; 
they  shall  take  up  serpents,  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them.  They  shall  lay  hands  on  the 
sick,  and  they  shall  recover. — Mark  16:  17,  18.  (Also  see 
John  14: 26;  15:26;  16:13-15.) 

I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh;  and  your  sons 
and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams,  your  young  men  shall  see  visions:  and  also  upon 
the  servants  and  upon  the  handmaids  in  those  days  will  I 
pour  out  my  Spirit. — Joel  2 :  28,  29. 

Glorious  heritage,  indeed,  and  worthy  of  such  a 
Father.  By  means  of  this  we  are  to  cry,  "Abba, 
Father!"  By  this  we  are  to  know  that  he  is  our 
Father  and  prove  his  unchangeability  and  impar- 
tiality. His  Spirit  is  to  be  in  us.  That  Spirit  is 
life  (Ezekiel  37:14;  John  6:63;  2  Corinthians 
3:6;  1  Peter  3:18;  Revelation  11:11),  and  that 
life,  being  one  with  God  (1  John  5:7),  is  eternal. 
Eternal  life  is  our  heritage  even  here.  It  is  to  be 
given  us,  first,  that  we  may  know  our  Father  and 
our  elder  brother,  Jesus  Christ,  for  "this  is  [the 
object  of]  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee 
the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou 
hast  sent."  (John  17:  3.)  This  knowledge  can 
not  be  obtained  except  by  this  agent.  (1  Corin- 
thians 12:3;  Matthew  11:27.)  It  is  given  that 
we  may  commune  with  him  through  the  exercise  of 


12  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

the  gifts  enumerated.  It  is  given  that  futurity 
may  be  unveiled,  and  we  may  gaze  on  things  to 
come.  It  is  given  that  we  may  be  preserved  from 
the  treachery  of  enemies  who  seek  to  inflict  evils 
upon  us.  It  is  given  to  heal  our  diseased  bodies. 
It  is  given  that  we  may  abound  in  righteous  fruit. 
(Galatians  5:  22;  Ephesians  5:9.)  It  is  to  redeem 
our  bodies  from  the  grasp  of  death  at  the  resur- 
rection morn.  (Romans  8 :  11 ;  1  Corinthians 
15:44.)  It  is  made  accessible  to  us  through  the 
suffering  endured  by  Jesus  Christ.  (Galatians 
3:  13,  14.) 

To  slight  this  proffered  seal  of  sonship  is  to 
trample  on  the  blood  that  made  it  available.  He  is 
an  unworthy  son  who  lightly  esteems  a  heritage  so 
divine  and  dearly  bought.  Eagerly  we  turn  again 
and  press  our  third  question:  "Upon  what  condi- 
tions can  we  enter  and  enjoy  this  heritage?"  Will 
the  Book  answer  this  important  question  as  plainly 
as  the  others  ?  Let  us  open  and  see : 

He  that  heareth  my  words,  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent 
me,  hath  everlasting  life. — John  5 :  24. 

Fear  God,  and  keep  his  commandments:  for  this  is  the 
whole  duty  of  man. — Ecclesiastes  12 :  13. 

Observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you : 
and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.— Matthew  28 :  20. 

Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
—Acts  16:31. 

This  is  his  commandment,  That  we  should  believe  on  the 
name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. — 1  John  3 :  23. 

God  .  .  .  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent. — 
Acts  17:30. 

Repent,   and  be  baptized   every  one  of  you   in  the  name 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  13 

of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall 
receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — Acts  2 :  38. 

He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  .  .  . 
and  these  signs  shall  follow. — Mark  16 :  16,  17. 

They  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And 
when  Paul  had  laid  his  hands  upon  them,  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  on  them;  and  they  spake  with  tongues,  and  prophesied. 
—Acts  19:5,  6. 

Then  laid  they  their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost.  .  .  .  Through  laying  on  of  the  apostles' 
hands  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given. — Acts  8 :  17,  18. 

Therefore  leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ, 
let  us  go  on  unto  perfection;  not  laying  again  the  founda- 
tion of  repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward 
God,  of  the  doctrine  of  baptisms,  and  of  laying  on  of  hands, 
and  of  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  of  eternal  judgment. — 
Hebrews  6:1,  2. 

What  could  be  plainer/  By  creation  I  am  God's 
son,  but  the  possession  of  my  inheritance  depends 
upon  my  obedience.  Here  I  am  clearly  informed  as 
to  what  was  required  of  other  portions  of  the  com- 
mon brotherhood  of  man,  and  our  Father  has  not 
changed.  He  is  not  partial.  Hence,  if  I  would 
enjoy  that  heritage,  he  "requireth  [of  me]  that 
which  is  past,"  or,  what  he  demanded  of  others. 

We  frankly  admit  that  these  spiritual  gifts  are 
not  to  be  found  among  what  are  commonly  known 
as  evangelical  churches  to-day.  We  grant  that  the 
popular  educators  of  the  age  have  long  pronounced 
tnem  unnecessary;  but  these  same  teachers  have 
put  this  book  in  our  hands  and  insisted  that  we 
abide  its  counsel.  Acting  upon  their  advice,  we 
have  opened  and  read  of  what  our  Father  in  heaven 
nas  done  for  man,  and  found  that  "whatsoever 
God  doeth,  it  shall  be  for  ever:  nothing  can  be  put 


14  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

to  it,  nor  anything  taken  from  it."  Hence,  as  a  part 
of  his  family  we  claim  under  the  ordinances  that 
provide  for  the  race  and  protest  against  human 
proscription.  Right  here  an  objection  is  urged, 
that  our  admission  as  to  the  absence  of  these  things 
in  the  modern  churches  is  against  this  argument. 
In  reply,  we  invite  the  objector  to  go  with  us  on  a 
tour  of  investigation  among  those  religious  bodies 
to  examine  well  their  articles  of  faith,  their  creed 
formulas,  and  to  listen  carefully  to  their  public  and 
authorized  enunciations.  Let  him,  with  us,  cate- 
chise those  theologians  who  are  supposed  to  voice 
the  popular  religious  sentiment,  and  then  answer 
us  one  question:  "Are  the  conditions  being 
observed  upon  which  this  divine  pledge  was  to  hold 
good  to  the  race?"  If  not,  the  objection  fails. 

It  would  be  the  extreme  of  folly  to  claim  exemp- 
tion from  duty  and  at  the  same  time  expect  the 
reward  of  service.  The  divine  law  has  been  given 
for  our  government:  "Whoso  looketh  into  the 
perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  continueth  therein,  he 
being  not  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  work, 
this  man  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed." — James 
1 :  25.  But,  "He  that  turneth  away  his  ear  from 
hearing  the  law,  even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomina- 
tion."—Proverbs  28 :  9. 

The  church  we  represent  has  suffered  ostracism 
since  its  organization  in  1830,  because  it  could  not 
affiliate  with  Christendom  on  any  terms  that 
involved  a  compromise  with  the  divine  law.  It  may 
be  that  baptism  is  not  "for  the  remission  of  sins"; 
but,  if  so,  the  misconception  originated  with  God. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  15 

It  may  be  that  the  laying  on  of  hands,  as  an 
ordinance,  is  unworthy  the  notice  of  men 
who  can  frame  creeds  and  confessions;  but  it 
comes  to  us  direct  from  him  who  made  the  world 
and  all  things  that  are  therein.  Our  folly,  like 
Paul's  heresy,  consists  in  /'believing  all  things 
which  are  written  in  the  law  and  in  the  prophets/' 
and  in  conscientiously  observing  what  they  enjoin. 
(See  Acts  24:  14-16.)  If  we  hope  for  as  lull  a  sal- 
vation as  was  promised  the  ancient  saints,  we  should 
claim  no  exemption  from  the  obligations  imposed 
upon  them,  and  we  should  not  esteem  that  church  an 
enemy  to  us  that  clings  most  closely  to  God.  " Who- 
soever transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  hath  not  God.  He  that  abideth  in 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  hath  both  the  Father  and 
the  Son."— 2  John  9. 

This  is  no  truer  of  men  than  of  churches,  and  if 
a  church  has  not  God  and  Christ,  what  can  it  confer 
upon  man?  This  scripture  means,  if  it  means  any- 
thing, that  God  will  stay  with  his  doctrine;  hence  he 
who  stays  the  closest  by  that  doctrine  lives  nearest 
to  God.  The  importance  of  the  conditions  already 
referred  to  is  thus  magnified,  in  that  they  tell  us 
what  this  doctrine  is  that  God  and  Christ  stand  so 
closely  by.  As  already  shown  from  Hebrews 
6:1,  2,  it  embraces  faith,  repentance,  baptism,  lay- 
ing on  of  hands,  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
eternal  judgment.  He  who  feels  disgraced  or 
offended  when  asked  to  contend  for  a  faith  that 
reflects  the  best  wisdom  of  God  ought  to  be  ashamed 
to  own  God  as  his  Father,  and  deserves  to  remain 


16  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

for  ever  destitute  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  which  that 
faith  shone  so  gloriously  resplendent  in  Bible  days. 
For  God  to  confer  that  Spirit  and  its  gifts  on  those 
who  reject  those  principles  of  ancient  law,  would 
be  to  cast  dishonor  on  the  law  itself  and  forfeit 
claim  upon  the  respect  and  love  of  martyrs  long 
since  dead,  whose  blood,  like  that  of  their  Master, 
was  poured  out  in  expression  of  their  faith  in  him 
who  authorized  the  proclamations :  "I  change  not" ; 
"I  am  no  respecter  of  persons";  "My  purposes 
shall  stand" ;  "The  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for 
ever.  And  this  is  the  word,  which  by  the  gospel  is 
preached  unto  you." — 1  Peter  1 :  25. 

Where  the  law  is  dishonored  by  man,  the  Spirit 
is  fenced  out,  and  the  church  is  dead.  A  dead 
church  can  transmit  no  life  to  its  adherents.  A 
human  body  may  be  preserved  after  death  by 
chemical  processes  for  a  long  time,  and  thus  be 
made  to  serve  a  purpose  in  demonstrating  human 
skill;  but  for  the  purposes  of  its  original  creation 
it  is  useless.  A  church  may  exist  for  ages  and  com- 
mand the  support  of  millions  who  admire  its 
ingenious  escape  from  ancient  Bible  obligations; 
but  where  those  doctrines  are  not,  neither  is  the 
Spirit,  and  that  church  is  powerless  to  perform  the 
functions  that  alone  can  confer  life  on  those 
affiliating. 

Who  wants  a  church  for  ornament,  or  religion 
for  a  show?  Who  wants  the  Bible  for  a  means  to 
prove  that  his  wisdom  has  outstripped  that  of  his 
God?  Who  wants  to  pray  merely  because  it  is 
pleasant  pastime? 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  17 

All  who  believe  that  the  church,  religion,  the 
Bible,  and  prayer  are  of  divine  appointment  and 
too  sacred  to  be  made  the  toys  of  human  caprice, 
please  go  with  us  a  little  further  and  look  through 
''nature  up  to  nature's  God";  judge  of  his  design  in 
providing  for  spiritual  man  by  his  arrangement  for 
physical  man  and  nature  throughout.  "The  invisi- 
ble things  of  him  from  the  creation  of  the  world 
are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that 
are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead." — 
Romans  1 :  20. 

From  Genesis  1 :  14-17  we  learn  that  God  "set" 
the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  in  the  firmament  of  the 
heavens  to  rule  by  day  and  night,  to  give  light  and 
to  be  for  signs  and  seasons,  and  days,  and  years, 
as  well  as  to  separate  the  day  from  the  night.  All 
are  agreed  that  not  only  our  well-being,  but  our 
very  existence  itself  is  made  dependent  upon  these 
orbs — life,  light,  heat,  vegetation,  the  tides,  and  in 
fact  almost  all  things  material  are  the  result  of 
their  service.  Who  can  imagine  the  anarchy  of 
matter  that  would  be  entailed  by  the  cessation  of 
their  functions  for  a  single  second  ? 

When,  therefore,  God  "set"  them  in  the  firma- 
ment, he  did  not  seek  to  provide  merely  for  Adam 
or  the  people  of  any  favorite  generation,  but  for  the 
race  of  man  and  the  earth  as  man's  habitation.  One 
general  provision  was  made  for  all  time,  and  noth- 
ing in  the  line  of  human  necessity  has  since  arisen 
for  which  that  provision  has  not  been  found  com- 
mensurate. In  the  line  of  physical  necessity  "that 
which  hath  been  is  now;  and  that  which  is  to  be 


18  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

hath  already  been" ;  and  to  meet  that  necessity  what 
God  once  did  "shall  be  for  ever :  nothing  can  be  put 
to  it,  nor  anything  taken  from  it."  As  long,  there- 
fore, as  human  life  is  to  be  continued  and  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  soil,  atmosphere,  and  tides,  together 
with  light,  are  essential,  so  long  will  their  original 
causes  continue. 

Nor  will  the  Almighty  ever  attempt  an  improve- 
ment upon  those  orbs  with  a  view  to  better 
serving  the  purposes  unto  which  they  were  origi- 
nally ordained.  His  wisdom  at  the  commencement 
was  as  great  as  it  now  is,  and  was  manifest  in 
appointing  a  means  commensurate  with  all  the 
existing  and  subsequently  recurring  exigencies  of 
physical  creation  for  ever.  Should  I,  therefore,  be 
asked  why  these  orbs  shine  as  they  shone  centuries 
ago,  I  should  find  ready  and  full  answer  in  the  fact 
that  the  same  necessity  that  called  for  their  first 
appointment  continues.  God's  ordinations  were  u> 
meet  necessities,  and  not  to  confer  exceptional  good 
upon  certain  favorites.  Wherever  the  need  exists, 
those  involved  therein  are  comprehended  in  the 
provision  once  made.  Hence,  no  man  has  ever  found 
occasion  to  complain  of,  or  apologize  for,  any  of 
these  orbs  of  day  or  night  because  of  their  being 
inadequate  to  the  service  assigned  them.  Nor  has 
human  ingenuity  ever  suggested  as  good  or  better 
means  of  accomplishing  the  work.  It  was  Godlike, 
not  only  in  the  fullness  of  its  efficacy,  but  also  in 
the  perpetuity  of  its  adaptation  and  design.  It  was 
a  Creator's  supply  for  the  needs  of  creation — the 
provision  of  a  Father  for  his  family. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  19 

Follow  the  entire  work  of  creation  through,  and 
the  same  principle  holds  good.  The  organs  of  which 
the  human  body  was  composed  when  Adam  was 
created  are  the  organs  essential  in  man  to-day,  and 
the  functions  remain  unchanged.  The  eyes  to  see, 
the  ears  to  hear,  the  feet  to  walk,  the  hands  co 
labor,  the  tongue  to  speak,  and  the  brain  to  think. 
The  external  agents  and  influences  which  operated 
upon,  excited,  or  inspired  those  members  in  early 
man  still  exert  their  power  upon  man  of  to-day 
and  will  do  so  while  the  race  continues.  God  set 
them  in  the  human  body,  and  the  lapse  of  centuries 
has  never  shown  a  need  for  improvement.  Physical 
man  is  "of  the  earth  earthy,"  and  his  framework 
was  ordained  as  a  means  of  adapting  him  to  the  con- 
ditions of  earth  life.  Hence,  while  light  remains 
the  eye  as  an  organ  will  be  affected  thereby,  and 
the  ear  by  sound.  While  labor  is  required,  either 
mental  or  physical,  the  brain  and  hands  will  exhibit 
the  wisdom  of  the  God  who  adapted  them  thereto; 
so  with  the  feet  for  travel  and  the  tongue  and 
mouth  for  speech,  the  nose  for  smelling,  etc.  Never 
has  the  thought  entered  the  mind  of  man  that  these 
organs  will  ever  cease  to  be  essential  while  light, 
and  sound,  and  odor,  and  motion,  and  labor,  and 
communication  are  associated  with  mundane  con- 
ditions. Just  as  he  decides  regarding  the  sun,  and 
moon,  and  stars  in  the  firmament,  so  he  concludes 
concerning  these  organs  in  the  body  of  man — they 
were  ordained  of  God  with  specific  objects  in  view, 
and  while  the  ancient  necessities  continue  unchanged 


20  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

the    appointments    hold  good,    and  will    never    be 
extended  or  modified  either  in  character  or  design. 

All  of  this  clearly  emphasizes  the  wise  man's 
words,  already  quoted,  "What  God  doeth,  it  shall 
be  for  ever:  nothing  can  be  added  to  it,  nor  any- 
thing taken  from  it."  If,  then,  as  already  shown, 
"the  invisible"  or  spiritual  things  of  God  "from  the 
creation  of  the  world  are  clearly  seen,  being  under- 
stood by  the  things  that  are  made,"  what  conclusion 
must  we  reach  as  to  the  perpetuity  of  his  appoint- 
ments for  spiritual  man?  Let  us  read: 

God  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  secondarily 
prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts 
of  healings,  helps,  governments,  diversities  of  tongues. — 1 
Corinthians  12 :  28. 

Let  us  now  learn  of  the  purpose  to  be  served  by 
this: 

He  gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets;  and  some, 
evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers;  for  the  per- 
fecting of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity 
of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto 
a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  full- 
ness of  Christ. — Ephesians  4:  11-13. 

Let  us  remember  that  the  same  word  is  employed 
here  as  in  Genesis  regarding  the  sun  and  moon — 
God  "set"  them  in  the  church.  What  was  the  neces- 
sity? "For  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body 
of  Christ." 

Let  us  not  forget  that  "what  God  doeth,  it  shall 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  21 

be  for  ever."  This  was  a  provision,  not  to  favor  a 
few  members  of  his  family,  but  for  the  entire  fam- 
ily. No  man  will  dispute  that  the  necessity  still 
exists.  Saints  need  perfecting,  the  ministry  work 
is  in  demand  as  much  if  not  more  than  ever,  and  the 
church  needs  edification.  Who,  then,  can  be  so  fool- 
ish as  to  believe  that  what  God  once  ordained  to 
meet  this  necessity  is  no  longer  required;  that  the 
church  can  as  well  get  along  without  apostles  and 
prophets  as  with  them?  As  well  might  we  conclude 
that  a  man  can  get  along  without  eyes  and  ears  and 
other  members  as  with  them,  or  the  earth  and  its 
inhabitants  without  the  sun  and  moon.  The  argu- 
ment of  Paul  in  1  Corinthians  12 :  1-27  is  directed 
against  such  position. 

As  in  the  physical,  so  in  the  spiritual  realm,  the 
necessities  have  never  changed.  "That  which  hath 
been  is  now;  and  that  which  is  to  be  hath  already 
been;  and  God  requireth  that  which  is  past."  To 
meet  those  necessities,  "whatsoever  God  doeth,  it 
shall  be  for  ever" — what  he  once  required  of  man 
he  still  demands.  Man  to-day  should  not  be  satisfied 
with  less  assurance  of  sonship  to  God  or  certificate 
of  inheritance  than  was  enjoyed  by  children  of  the 
same  family  and  Father  centuries  ago;  but  while 
this  is  true,  he  should  not  expect  those  tokens  on 
any  other  terms  than  were  declared  in  the  Father's 
will  at  that  time.  He  who  appreciates  his  Father's 
provision  will  be  satisfied  with  no  less  favor.  He 
who  honors  his  Father's  wisdom  will  ask  no  easier 
terms.  While,  therefore,  we  spread  our  hands  and 


22  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

cry,  "Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,"  let  us  be 
consistent  in  our  pleading,  remembering  the  perti- 
nent question  of  the  Savior :  "Why  call  ye  me  Lord, 
Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say?"  Let  us 
heed  the  counsel,  "Examine  yourselves,  whether 
ye  be  in  the  faith,"  and  to  "earnestly  contend  for  the 
faith  which  was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints/' 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       23 


Unchangeable  and  Impartial. 


For  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not. — Malachi  3 :  6. 

Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above, 
and  cometh  down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is 
no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning. — James  1 :  17. 

Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever. — 
Hebrews  13 :  8. 

There  is  no  iniquity  with  the  Lord  our  God,  nor  respect 
of  persons. — 2  Chronicles  19 :  7. 

God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.— Acts  10:  34. 

And  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell 
on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times 
before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation. — Acts 
17:26. 

He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that 
he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him. — Hebrews 
11:6. 

One  prominent  distinction  between  our  faith  and 
that  of  many  others  is  manifest  in  this :  We  believe 
that  God  is.  By  this  we  mean  that  in  every  char- 
acteristic of  being,  disposition,  law,  and  purpose  that 
ever  revealed  him  to  man,  or  that  was  resident  in 
him,  he  still  exists.  That  the  gospel  approaches  to 
him  which  himself  built  by  Jesus  Christ  still 
remain,  and  if  man  to-day  will  draw  near  to  him 
by  those  approaches,  he  will  obtain  the  same  view, 
behold  the  same  glory,  feel  the  same  power,  and 


24  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

rejoice  in  the  same  principles  as  did  those  of  Bible 
times.  This  is  the  testimony  of  reason,  of  the  Bible, 
and  of  the  experience  of  those  who  have  tried  it. 

The  conception  of  God  which  makes  him  a  God 
of  miracles  and  of  will  to  perform  them  for  man's 
benefit  in  the  past,  and  of  his  intention  to  perform 
them  in  the  future  in  bringing  about  the  resurrec- 
tion, the  overthrow  of  evil,  and  the  creation  of  a 
new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  where  righteousness 
alone  will  pervade  the  atmosphere,  but  which  strips 
him  of  that  miraculous  power  to-day,  or  divests  him 
of  the  will  to  exhibit  it  for  man,  is  foolish.  The 
need  of  God's  special  interference  is  as  great  as 
ever  it  was,  to  say  the  least,  and  every  day  and 
everywhere  man's  condition  is  exhibiting  features 
of  necessity  which  the  wisdom  of  man  can  never 
supply,  and  every  effort  to  supply  it  but  mag- 
nifies the  trouble  and  adds  to  the  chaos  of  religious 
disorder  and  discontent.  God  is  not  the  God  of 
favored  centuries,  generations,  cities,  localities, 
or  people.  He  is  the  Father  of  the  race,  and 
as  such  his  obligations  are  unvaried  without 
regard  to  place  or  time,  if  all  members  of  the 
race  or  family  will  but  respect  alike  his  law.  This 
is  the  only  distinction.  The  disobedient  are  without 
title,  but  the  obedient  always  have  equal  claim  from 
Adam  till  the  millennium. 

An  earthly  parent  with  a  large  family  once 
placarded  his  palace  with  announcements  of  his 
impartiality  and  unchangeability,  then  spread  his 
tables  bounteously  with  all  the  health-  and  joy- 
giving  products  of  air,  and  earth,  and  sea — the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  25 

cereals,  and  vegetables,  and  fruits,  and  flowers,  and 
delicious  beverages.  He  then  invited  the  older  mem- 
bers of  his  family  to  enter  the  banquet-hall,  where 
the  great  arc  and  incandescent  lights  furnished 
light,  and  permitted  them  to  gaze  upon  and  enjoy 
a  most  magnificent  spectacle  and  royal  banquet. 
They  feasted  and  rejoiced,  and  chatted  one  to 
another  in  happiness  akin  to  bliss,  and  wrote  and 
recited  paeans  of  praise  to  their  father  who  was  so 
generous  and  considerate.  As  they  were  thus 
engaged,  their  speeches  and  expressions  of  joy  were 
noted  down,  together  with  a  list  of  the  meats  and 
drinks  upon  which  they  feasted.  This  was  done  by 
certain  of  them  whom  the  father  had  selected  and 
requested  to  so  do.  The  records  were  preserved, 
the  tables  were  cleared,  and  the  happy  company 
passed  out  of  a  door  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  hall 
from  which  they  entered.  The  lights  were  extin- 
guished, and  the  father,  who,  with  his  gorgeously 
attired  servants,  had  been  conversing  with  and 
waiting  upon  his  children,  withdrew  from  the  ban- 
queting-hall  and  retired  to  his  parlor  for  a  season, 
and  had  all  of  his  actions  published,  that  his  char- 
acter and  will  and  whereabouts  might  be  everywhere 
known.  His  riches  continued,  and  his  estate  was 
magnificent. 

In  a  short  time  the  younger  members  of  the 
family  grew  up,  read  the  records,  rejoiced  in  their 
prospects,  entered  the  banqueting-hall  by  the  same 
door,  under  the  same  directions  as  had  the  older 
ones,  marched  around  the  immense  room,  read  all 
the  placards  which  told  of  the  father's  unchangea- 


26  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

bility,  impartiality,  etc.,  toward  all  his  household, 
and  finally  seated  themselves  on  the  same  chairs 
once  occupied  by  the  others.  Upon  each  plate 
before  them  was  found  a  copy  of  the  record  which 
had  been  kept  of  the  things  eaten,  drunk,  and  said. 
There  were  none  of  those  things  remaining,  how- 
ever, no  flowers,  fruits,  nuts,  cereals,  vegetables,  or 
beverages,  as  of  old;  the  lights  were  not  burning, 
and  they  had  to  supply  themselves  with  matches 
or  candles  to  read  the  records  referred  to.  The 
father  and  the  brilliant  servants  were  not  there; 
but  they  waited,  on  the  strength  of  what  the  wall 
placards  announced  and  what  they  had  learned  in 
the  accounts  of  himself  published  by  their  father. 
Still  he  came  not,  nor  those  servants,  nor  were  the 
electric  lights  turned  on.  They  murmured,  and 
looked  often  at  the  empty  dishes  before  them,  and 
cried  out  for  the  father's  approach  and  the  supplies 
indicated.  Just  then  there  entered  a  few  poorly 
attired  persons,  who  claimed  to  be  servants  of  the 
father,  and  requested  the  children  to  refrain  from 
such  complaint  and  supplication,  as  it  was  displeas- 
ing to  the  father,  who  was  too  busy  or  too  little 
interested  in  them  to  visit  them.  These  self-called 
servants  also  informed  the  children  that  their  por- 
tion was  to  be  found  in  the  printed  records  before 
them  on  their  dishes.  Astonished  at  this,  the  chil- 
dren asked  how  they  could  feed  and  be  nourished 
upon  the  mere  story  of  what  their  older  brothers 
and  sisters  ate  and  drank  and  enjoyed;  they  asked 
why  they  were  being  so  treated;  why  this  dis- 
crimination by  a  self-claimed  unchangeable  and 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       27 

impartial  father.  The  answer  given  was :  "Simply 
because  you  were  not  borr  49r:>n  enough."  The  chil- 
dren asked  whether  they  were  responsible  for  that, 
but  were  turned  away  with  the-  reply  that  the 
"word"  was  to  be  their  portion ;  but  that  all  the  evi- 
dences of  loyalty  and  affection  for  their  father,  such 
as  were  displayed  by  the  others  of  whom  they  read, 
were  required  of  them  also  without  diminution, 
under  penalty  of  disinheritance  and  final  destruc- 
tion. 

What  think  you,  hearers  and  readers,  of  such  a 
parent  and  such  a  case?  You  tell  me  you  do  not 
believe  a  word  of  it.  No  father  could  be  so  mani- 
festly unjust  and  partial  and  cruel  to  his  own  chil- 
dren while  he  retained  his  senses  and  riches,  and 
especially  while  publishing  himself  to  the  contrary. 
It  would  be  outrageous,  and  is  too  far  beneath  con- 
tempt to  admit  a  belief.  Well,  you  are  right.  I 
have  only  given  you  a  parable ;  but  does  it  not  truly 
depict  a  spiritual  condition  if  the  theories  of  reli- 
gion now  extant  and  the  apologies  of  their  advocates 
are  to  be  respected?  The  Bible  tells  such  a  story 
of  spiritual  feasting  by  our  brothers,  Enoch,  Noah, 
Abraham,  Moses,  Peter,  James,  John,  Paul,  and 
their  conf reres ; .  it  tells  what  they  ate  and  drank 
and  said  and  did ;  of  the  Father  being  with  them  by 
his  Spirit  and  Son,  and  the  angels  who  ministered  to 
them — the  light  of  direct  revelation  let  in  upon 
them;  and  how  their  souls  were  enriched  by  Pente- 
costal baptisms  of  miracle  and  of  glory.  I  read  the 
placards  upon  the  walls :  "I  am  the  Lord,  I  change 
not" ;  "God  is  no  respecter  of  persons" ;  "For  we  are 


28  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

also  his  offspring"  (Acts  17:  28)  ;  yet,  when  I  enter 
the  same  door  and  sit  down  at  the  same  table  as  did 
my  older  brothers,  the  light  from  God  (revelation) 
must  not  be  expected;  the  angel  servants,  who  are 
"ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  for  them 
who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation"  (Hebrews  1:  14), 
are  not  to  wait  on  or  bless  me;  God  is  not  to  com- 
mune, as  of  old,  with  his  family ;  some  of  the  ancient 
gospel  dishes  may  remain,  but  they  are  to  be  kept 
empty.  I  am  required  to  feed  and  grow  fat  on  the 
story  told  of  others  in  the  Book;  I  ask,  "Why?" 
and  am  told  that  though  of  the  same  family,  I  was 
not  born  soon  enough,  and  that  is  the  only  reason. 
Yet,  according  to  the  sixth  quotation  in  my  heading 
text,  God  determined  the  times  and  boundaries  of 
human  habitation  beforehand.  Moses  and  Paul 
were  born  when  and  where  they  were  because  God 
settled  it  so  beforehand;  so  with  me — I  could  not 
help  it.  So  the  whole  Bible  story  is  worthless  to  me, 
except  to  prove  that  Christ's  religion  wears  out  in 
time.  It  can  flood  its  believers  with  miracle  and 
glory  at  one  time,  but  possesses  no  such  power 
later  on.  One  generation  gets  all  the  actual  food, 
fresh  from  God's  and  Christ's  and  angels'  hands,  but 
the  other  must  either  grow  fat  on  the  Bible  or 
"Word,"  or  history  of  what  the  first  enjoyed,  or 
must  starve  and  be  damned  for  starving.  What  n 
brilliant  idea  of  fatherhood!  What  an  intellectual 
conception  of  unchangeability !  What  a  glowing 
tribute  to  God's  impartiality!  A  picture  that  would 
damn  any  earthly  father,  yet  is  offered  to  me  as  a 
photograph  of  "our  Father  which  art  in  heaven"! 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  29 

Oh,  pinnacle  of  inconsistency!  Oh,  acme  of  blas- 
phemy ! 

Let  not  the  believers  in  such  a  theory  pretend  to 
approach  God  religiously  in  word  or  ceremony.  "He 
that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is." 

A  lecturer  once  came  to  a  certain  neighborhood 
and  brought  with  him  a  cargo  of  pamphlets.  To 
his  auditors  he  told  of  a  section  of  country  from 
whence  he  came,  where  corn  yielded  one  hundred 
bushels  to  the  acre,  wheat  seventy-five  bushels,  and 
oats,  and  barley,  and  vegetables  in  proportion.  He 
then  threw  his  pamphlets  broadcast,  and  in  them 
the  readers  found  a  similar  showing.  Beautiful 
springs  and  streams  of  water  were  referred  to,  and 
mention  made  of  regular  rains,  and  mellow  sun- 
shine, and  genial  climate,  and  much  else  to  favor- 
ably impress. 

In  due  time  several  of  those  auditors  sold  their 
old  possessions  and  went  to  the  section  thus  adver- 
tised. They  plowed,  and  planted,  and  cultivated, 
and  looked  for  the  wonderful  yield  which  had  been 
described,  but  it  failed  to  materialize;  the  rains 
were  very  irregular  and  scant;  the  springs  and 
streams  could  not  be  located.  Neighbors,  who  had 
been  there  for  years,  gave  no  better  evidence  of 
success  in  farming.  They  became  indignant,  and 
sought  and  found  the  man  (and  the  company  he 
represented)  who  had  painted  the  glowing  picture 
and  distributed  the  tracts  in  their  old  home  region. 
To  him  they  told  their  story  of  disappointment  and 
vexation.  In  reply,  he  expressed  surprise  that  they 
should  have  expected  any  such  things  as  he  had 


30  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

talked  to  them  about  or  as  they  had  read  about  in 
his  pamphlets.  "For,"  said  he,  "those  harvests  were 
reaped  over  a  thousand  years  ago,  and  we  simply 
published  the  story  as  we  found  it  in  history,  or  as 
tradition  gave  it  to  us,  though,  of  course,  our  object 
was  to  have  you  colonize  this  section."  The 
enraged  colonists  turned,  and  asked  him,  "Can  we 
and  our  families  subsist  on  the  grain  and  vege- 
tables that  others  raised  and  consumed  over  a 
thousand  years  ago?  We  are  starving  for  food." 
To  this  he  replied,  "You  have  the  pamphlets." 

Again  you  show  incredulity,  and  tell  me  this  is 
another  parable.  I  admit  it,  but  ask,  "What  do  you 
want  religion  for?"  The  farmer  does  not  buy  land 
merely  to  have  the  county  records  show  him  the 
owner,  or  merely  to  be  the  possessor.  He  has  crops 
in  his  mind.  No  honest  and  intelligent  person  wants 
to  get  religion  merely  to  have  some  church-book 
show  the  enrollment  of  his  name,  or  to  be  called  a 
Christian.  He  has  Christ's  communion,  divine  help 
and  favor,  Spirit  endowment,  and  eternal  life  in  his 
mind.  Bible  lecturers  may  extol  the  description  of 
gospel  products  on  Pentecost,  in  the  Asiatic 
churches,  and  along  the  line  of  the  ancient  apostolic 
march,  and  they  may  print  and  circulate  cheap 
Bibles  all  over  the  world  in  support  of  what  they 
tell ;  but  enter  their  churches  and  find  a  duplication 
of  those  gospel  gifts,  miracles,  apostles,  prophets, 
etc.,  if  you  can.  When  you  discover  their  barren- 
ness and  inquire  about  it,  you  are  told  these  things 
existed  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  You  ask  how 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  31 

your  soul  can  grow  and  be  enriched  upon  what 
saints  received  and  utilized  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago;  you  are  in  spiritual  need  now!  They  will  tell 
you :  "You  have  the  Bible." 

A  man  once  stood  upon  a  pulpit  platform,  and 
preached  and  expounded  the  Scriptures  very 
readily  and  satisfactorily,  and  electrified  and  edified 
his  hearers.  At  the  close  of  his  series  of  discourses 
he  was  plied  with  questions  which  he  answered 
cheerfully  and  convincingly.  Before  leaving  he 
announced  his  itinerary,  telling  where  he  would  be 
each  succeeding  month  the  following  year  and  at 
what  time  he  would  return  to  them,  and  that  every- 
where he  would  be  the  same  as  then.  Anxious  that 
their  friends  at  the  different  points  named  should 
enjoy  what  they  had,  these  persons  wrote  to  them, 
and  advised  them  to  go  and  hear  at  the  times  indi- 
cated. The  answers  which  came  back  surprised 
them,  for  their  distant  friends  told  them  of  having 
gone  to  hear,  but  of  being  disappointed  in  not  wit- 
nessing what  had  been  described  to  them.  Upon  the 
preacher's  return  to  that  place,  he  was  found  one 
night  fixed  like  a  statue,  motionless  and  speechless. 
All  the  questions  they  presented  to  him  elicited  no 
motion  or  speech,  till  they  became  vehement,  when 
he  moved  his  finger,  or  swayed  his  head,  or  winked 
his  eyes,  but  said  not  a  word.  Each  one  of  the 
crowd  was  left  to  guess  what  these  gestures  meant, 
and  they  differed  about  it  and  disputed,  but  he 
never  deigned  to  interpret  himself  or  end  their  con- 
tention. Yet,  notwithstanding  all  that  their  friends 


32  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

had  written  back  to  them,  and  all  that  they  wit- 
nessed for  themselves  on  the  preacher's  return,  they 
were  unanimous  in  their  testimony  that  he  had  not 
changed — he  was  exactly  the  same  to-day  as  yes- 
terday and  all  time  before  when  among  them.  Once 
a  fluent  talker,  now  a  dummy;  once  active  and 
intelligent  and  deeply  interested,  now  almost 
motionless,  obtuse,  and  indifferent;  once  anxious 
and  careful  to  answer  and  explain,  lest  misunder- 
standing should  obtain,  now  austere  and  careless 
as  to  whether  they  agreed  about  him  or  not. 

"Parable  number  three !"  you  exclaim.  All  right. 
But  from  what  condition  did  I  get  my  suggestion? 
The  Bible  purports  to  give  a  history  of  God's  deal- 
ings with  men  for  over  four  thousand  years.  He 
was  always  counseling  and  directing,  always 
approachable.  Visions,  angels,  dreams,  revelations, 
signs,  miracles,  etc.,  figured  in  the  fluent  responses 
he  gave  to  inquirers.  His  word  was:  "Hitherto 
ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name ;  ask  and  receive, 
that  your  joy  may  be  full."  (John  16:  24.)  "Seek," 
"ask,"  "knock,"  he  insisted,  and  was  always  ready 
to  reply,  and  relieve,  and  enlighten.  Then,  as  in  my 
texts,  he  left  word  of  his  unchangeability.  Yet, 
after  four  thousand  years  of  such  an  unbroken 
display  (except  where  sin  prevailed  among  his  peo- 
ple), Christendom  represents  him  as  uttering  no 
word,  sending  no  angel,  giving  no  vision  or  spiritual 
dream,  performing  no  miracle,  healing  no  sick  in 
this  age,  as  formerly,  but  still  the  word  is  true  that 
he  is  unchangeable  and  impartial. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  33 

It  was  Pope  who  wrote: 

Lo,  the  poor  Indian!    whose  untutored  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  him  in  the  wind. 

Had  he  substituted  the  word  Christian  for  Indian, 
and  referred  to  the  modern  product,  it  would  have 
fitted  nearly  as  well;  for  except  in  "clouds"  and 
"wind"  and  undecipherable  providences,  he  sees  no 
God  to-day.  He  must  go  to  the  Bible  and  through 
it  as  a  telescope  look  back  nineteen  hundred  years 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  real  God,  and  if  the  Indian 
can  read,  he  can  do  that  as  well  as  the  so-called 
Christian. 

Oh,  that  the  world  could  get  one  view  of  God 
to-day,  compare  him  with  the  Bible  showing  of 
his  impartiality,  unchangeability,  and  miraculous 
power,  and  divine  fatherhood,  and  know  that  as  he 
was  he  is.  John  says  that  God,  the  Word  (Christ), 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  one  (1  John  5:7),  and  we 
ask  the  world  to  believe  that  they  and  the  angels 
are  not  dead;  they  have  not  dissolved  partnership; 
they  have  not  abandoned  business,  nor  changed 
employment.  The  one  thought  of  the  past  is  the 
paramount  interest  with  them  still.  But  the  people 
have  wandered  away  from  the  gospel  and  church 
established  by  Christ,  and  have  built  churches  and 
taught  doctrines  to  suit  their  own  fancies,  and  God 
will  not  put  his  seal  upon  that  which  is  not  his.  He 
will  not  appear  in  them  as  in  his  own.  Hence,  the 
old,  old  appeal  which  God  authorized  Jeremiah  to 
make  is  in  order  to-day: 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Stand  ye  in  the  ways,  and  see,  and 
ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk 


34  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

therein,   and   ye   shall   find   rest   for   your   souls. — Jeremiah 
6:16. 

But,  alas!  as  that  verse  closes  with  the  people's 
answer,  so  does  the  popular  note  cry  out  to-day, 
''But  they  said,  We  will  not  walk  therein/' 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  35 


The  Modern  Stumbling-Stone. 


Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in  sheep's 
clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves.  Ye  shall 
know  them  by  their  fruits. — Matthew  7:  15,  16. 

This  wisdom  have  I  seen  also  under  the  sun,  and  it 
seemed  great  unto  me:  There  was  a  little  city,  and  few  men 
within  it;  and  there  came  a  great  king  against  it,  and 
besieged  it,  and  built  great  bulwarks  against  it:  now  there 
was  found  in  it  a  poor  wise  man,  and  he  by  his  wisdom 
delivered  the  city;  yet  no  man  remembered  that  same  "poor 
man.  Then  said  I,  Wisdom  is  better  than  strength:  never- 
theless the  poor  man's  wisdom  is  despised,  and  his  words 
are  not  heard. — Ecclesiastes  9 :  13-16. 

The  fortunes  or  fate  of  revealed  truth  seem  to  be 
nearly  alike  in  all  ages.  In  the  blood  of  its  advo- 
cates and  defenders  can  be  traced  the  line  of  its 
march  in  the  dispensations  of  history,  and  the 
records  now  being  faithfully  made  will  furnish  to 
the  world  nothing  but  duplicates  of  what  is  already 
possessed.  Like  its  Author,  truth  comes  to  its  own, 
but  its  own  receives  it  not. 

The  inquisition  connected  with  the  bloody  appren- 
ticeship it  seems  destined  to  serve,  is  generally  insti- 
tuted by  the  Phariseeism  of  its  time.  Those  busiest 
in  painting  and  garnishing  the  tombs  of  dead 
prophets  are  generally  first  to  bring  the  stone,  the 


36  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

fagot,  and  the  cross  for  living  ones.  Those  who 
make  themselves  hoarse  in  crying,  "We  know  that 
God  spake  to  Moses,"  are  generally  ready  to  vary 
their  speech  with  an  occasional,  "Away  with  him! 
Crucify  him !"  when  their  attention  is  called  to  Jesus 
Christ. 

All  ancient  revelation  was  once  modern,  and  its 
first  advocates  in  any  age  were  anathematized. 
Noah's  proclamation  was  as  divine  and  genuine  as 
God  could  authorize,  yet  it  convinced  not  a  single 
soul  outside  of  his  own  family.  It  was  new  and 
somewhat  novel,  was  the  only  objection  that  could 
be  urged  against  it.  They  had  their  traditions  of 
God,  handed  down  from  Adam,  and  yet  in  their  lives 
and  teachings  they  were  far  from  righteousness; 
hence  Noah's  preaching  was  an  offense  to  them. 
Pharisees  of  this  age  shed  tears  as  they  read  and 
think  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  spent  by  this 
faithful  patriarch  in  a  fruitless  effort  to  reclaim 
those  heedless  hearers,  and  they  denounce  the  hard- 
heartedness  and  stiff-neckedness  of  such  people,  yet 
they  forget  or  are  indifferent  to  the  intimation,  "As 
it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  it  be  in  the  days 
of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man."  They  are  to-day 
despising  as  grand  an  overture  from  heaven  as  was 
extended  by  Noah. 

Jesus  asked  his  auditors  to  "search  the  scrip- 
tures," for  they  testified  of  him,  and  said,  "Had  ye 
believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  believed  me,  for  he 
wrote  of  me";  but  they  did  not  believe  Moses  nor 
the  Scriptures  intelligently.  They  believed  the  cor- 
rupted traditions  that  had  reached  them,  and  which 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       37 

were  being  presented  as  interpretations  of  the 
Scriptures  by  their  priests;  hence  their  eyes  were 
blinded  to  the  true  intent  and  facts  of  "Moses  and 
the  prophets."  Jesus  came  to  magnify,  fulfill,  and 
unfold  the  law.  God  sent  him  for  that  purpose; 
but  their  traditions  stood  between  them  and  him, 
hence  they  murdered  their  best  friend,  for  whom 
they  had  been  pleading  and  waiting. 

Paul  stood  up  for  the  "hope  of  Israel,"  and 
endeavored  from  their  own  Scriptures  to  prove 
Jesus  to  be  the  central  figure  connected  therewith, 
the  Christ  indeed ;  but  he  was  branded  a  heretic  and 
denounced  as  a  pestilent  fellow,  a  stirrer-up  of 
strife.  He  was  beaten,  imprisoned,  and  finally  slain. 
Unto  all  these  distresses  he  was  delivered  by  the 
very  persons  upon  whom  he  ought  to  have  been  able 
to  rely  for  protection  and  succor,  for  they  claimed 
to  be  the  custodians  of  the  "law  and  the  prophets," 
in  the  contents  of  which  he  declared  himself  a 
believer. 

So  to-day  we  are  called  heretics,  not  because  we 
denounce  the  Bible,  but  because  we  uphold  it.  We 
appeal,  as  did  our  Master,  to  the  Scriptures,  and 
"contend  for  the  faith"  therein  revealed;  but  we 
are  confronted  with  creeds  and  commentaries  as  an 
answer  in  which  the  wisdom  of  men  alone  stands 
revealed.  Thousands  are  building  churches  to  the 
names  of  dead  apostles  and  prophets,  but  will  not 
believe  that  there  stand  among  them  living  ones. 
Not  only  this,  but,  like  others  of  former  time,  they 
will  distort  and  misapply  the  Scriptures  to  defend 


38       THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL 

a  tradition,  though    they  crucify    Christ's    golden 
truth  in  so  doing. 

In  evidence  of  this,  let  the  text  chosen  be  intro- 
duced. Since  1830,  or  thereabouts,  the  words, 
"Beware  of  false  prophets!"  have  been  used  by 
creed  defenders  against  Joseph  Smith  and  those 
engaged  with  him  in  proclaiming  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  until  they  have  become  household 
words,  and  the  impression  has  obtained  among 
thousands,  if  not  millions,  of  honest  people  that  this 
application  of  Scripture  was  legitimate.  Their  only 
ground  for  thus  believing  is  the  testimony  of  the 
chief  priests  and  Pharisees  among  them.  If  the 
reader  has  been  thus  influenced,  let  us  offer  a  few 
thoughts  in  regard  to  the  matter,  both  as  to  the 
incorrectness  and  injustice  of  such  treatment  of. 
Scripture  and  men,  and  also  with  reference  to  the 
causes  that  have  led  thereunto. 

Let  it  be  stated  that  we  are  the  victims  ofttimes 
of  a  prejudice  that  has  been  created  by  false  edu- 
cation. While  nearly  all  churches  and  societies  have 
been  called  upon  to  furnish  a  representation  of 
themselves  for  publication  in  encyclopedias  and 
school-books,  our  enemies,  or  those  interested  in  the 
overthrow  of  our  church  and  work,  have  almost 
invariably  been  called  upon  to  speak  and  write  of 
us.  Within  the  last  three  or  four  years  some  cor- 
rections of  these  have  been  published  in  later  issues 
of  some  of  these  works.  The  result  of -this  has  been 
just  as  might  be  expected.  When  the  name  of 
Latter  Day  Saint  is  mentioned  in  a  community,  or 
one  of  our  elders  appears  there  to  preach  for  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  39 

first  time,  instead  of  going  to  hear  him  speak  for 
himself,  a  resort  is  had  to  the  encyclopedias,  and 
from  thence  as  cruelly  false  and  base  an  impression 
as  is  possible  to  obtain  is  gathered,  and  the  prejudice 
against  us  is  strengthened  in  proportion.  If  the 
early-day  Pharisees  alone  had  been  consulted  in 
order  to  learn  the  mission  and  character  of  Christ, 
and  only  their  testimony  had  been  handed  down, 
very  few  in  this  age  would  tolerate  even  the  men- 
tion of  his  name  in  their  homes. 

Next,  let  us  consider  the  text  referred  to,  and 
examine  the  application  made. 

Jesus  had  chosen  his  ministry  and  endowed  them 
with  supernatural  gifts,  and  declared  that  when  the 
Comforter  should  come  it  would  testify  of  him  and 
show  them  things  to  come.  These  divine  endow- 
ments were  for  their  enlightenment  and  protection 
after  his  departure.  He  also  told  them  that  the 
prince  of  this  world  was  coming,  and  would  lie  in 
wait  to  deceive  and  seek  to  overthrow  the  work 
commenced.  To  deceive  those  endowed  with  gifts 
of  prophecy  and  miracles,  the  enemy  would  need  to 
do  as  in  Moses'  day,  when  the  rods  of  the  magicians 
became  serpents,  also, — imitate  the  divine;  hence  he 
would  inspire  men  to  prophesy  and  perform  miracles 
closely  resembling  what  was  accomplished  by  the 
divine  Spirit  in  the  apostles.  Foreseeing  this,  Jesus 
kindly  and  clearly  forewarned  them  in  the  words 
before  us,  "Beware  of  false  prophets!"  A  provi- 
sion was  made  against  these  false  spirits  which 
would  seek  to  destroy  the  church  by  decoys  of  this 
kind.  In  First  Corinthians,  twelfth  chapter,  we 


40  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

have  mention  of  nine  supernatural  gifts  given  to  the 
church,  among  which  are  prophecy,  tongues,  and 
miracles,  and  all  who  read  will  agree  that  these  were 
appointed  to  the  church  because  there  was  a  neces- 
sity for  them.  What,  then,  shall  be  said  of  that 
strange  gift,  also  named  in  the  same  chapter,  the 
"discerning  of  spirits"?  Was  that  not  also  given 
because  in  God's  foreknowledge  it  was  found  to  be 
necessary?  If  so,  it  is  evident  that  God  and  Christ 
knew  that  false  spirits  would  attempt  to  inspire  men 
in  the  church  to  prophesy,  as  they  had  done  in  the 
days  of  Elijah  and  others.  This  gift  was  to  make 
detection  possible,  that  the  church  might  be  saved. 
The  gospel,  as  then  introduced,  reopened  the  way 
of  communication  with  God,  and  the  enemy  stood 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  confidence  of  the 
people  in  these  divine  gifts,  and  to  transform  him- 
self like  unto  an  angel  of  light,  if  necessary,  in  order 
to  "deceive  the  very  elect"  by  his  counterfeiting 
work.  Jesus  knew  that  not  only  would  the  divine 
Spirit — the  Comforter — come  when  he  left,  but 
"many  spirits"  would  go  "abroad  in  the  world." 
Hence  he  cried,  "Beware  of  false  prophets,  who 
come  unto  you  in  sheep's  clothing!" — appear  and 
prophesy  much  like  yourselves,  in  order  to  win  you 
from  the  favor  of  God  in  time. 

Now,  compare  the  situation  of  that  time  with  that 
of  the  age  when  Joseph  Smith  began  his  work. 
Where  was  the  church  that  believed  in  those  super- 
natural endowments,  as  a  necessity,  when  this  young 
man  made  his  first  proclamation?  Every  one  of 
them  declared  that  prophecy  had  ceased  long  cen- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  41 

turies  before,  never  to  be  heard  again  in  the  Chris- 
tian church  on  earth.  They  had  no  confidence  in 
such  things;  hence  there  could  be  no  advantage 
taken  of  confidence  that  did  not  exist.  There  was 
nothing  of  the  kind  on  earth.  Satan's  work  of 
counterfeiting  could  not  begin  where  no  genuine 
was  in  existence.  Suppose  a  banker  should  throw 
back  a  coin  you  presented,  and  tell  you  it  was  coun- 
terfeit. In  reply,  you  ask  how  he  has  decided,  and 
he  gives  you  nothing  but  his  word  to  condemn  it; 
therefore  you  insist  that  he  shall  produce  a  genuine 
coin  for  comparison,  but  he  informs  you  that  there 
is  not  one  in  existence.  Would  you  not  ask  him 
what  the  counterfeiter  had  to  work  by  when  yours 
was  made?  Would  you  not  promptly  tell  him  that 
all  coin  in  existence  of  that  denomination,  accord- 
ing to  his  statement,  must  be  spurious,  and,  if  he 
had  nothing  but  spurious  coin  to  compare  with,  it 
was  presumption  for  him  to  denounce  yours? 
Might  it  not  be  that  yours,  being  unlike  what  was  in 
circulation,  thus  bore  one  evidence  of  possibility  in 
favor  of  its  genuineness? 

If  there  was  not  a  living  true  prophet  on  earth 
with  which  to  compare  this  young  man,  how  did 
they  pronounce  him  false?  How  could  he  come  to 
deceive  a  people  by  imitation  who  had  no  faith  what- 
ever in  any  such  thing  as  a  prophet  in  the  church  ? 

Again,  let  us  notice  the  description  given  of  the 
kind  referred  to  by  Christ:  They  were  to  come  in 
sheep's  clothing.  But  it  will  be  well  to  keep  in  mind 
that  true  prophets  would  also  appear  in  "sheep's 
clothing."  It  would  be  interesting  in  this  con- 


42  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

nection  to  know  just  who  were  the  "sheep"  at  the 
time  when  Joseph  Smith  began  his  religious  career. 
The  sheep's  clothing  referred  to  certainly  will  not 
bear  a  strictly  literal  interpretation.  It  did  not 
mean  that  prophets  would  come  with  literal  sheep- 
skins on  them.  It  can  only  mean  that  they  would, 
in  every  noticeable  respect,  bear  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  the  "sheep"  or  members  of  "the  fold"; 
they  would  talk,  and  act,  and  appear  like  them. 

Let  us  see:  The  first  announcement  that  this 
young  prophet  made  to  the  churches  was,  "You 
are  all  wrong,  and  your  creeds  are  an  abomination 
in  God's  sight."  This  he  said  on  the  strength  of 
what  the  angel  told  him,  and  this  was  what  pro- 
voked the  bitter  and  persistent  persecution  which 
ever  afterwards  followed  him.  His  language  was 
unequivocal,  and  he  placed  himself  on  record 
openly  before  the  world  in  a  way  to  invite  criticism 
and  condemnation,  rather  than  favor  and  flattery. 
The  first  announcement  made  by  him  was  a  virtual 
challenge  to  every  religious  body  on  earth.  No 
hypocritical  deceiver  would  ever  attempt  to  openly 
denounce  every  religion  in  existence  with  the  hope 
of  ingratiating  himself  into  the  affections  of  those 
connected  therewith.  To  reach  this  thought  directly 
and  avoid  possibility  of  being  mistaken,  let  us 
again  ask,  Who  were  the  "sheep"  in  his  day?  There 
were  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists,  and  pos- 
sibly others,  close  to  his  home.  If  either  or  all  of 
these  represented  the  "sheep,"  and  his  aim  was  to 
lure  and  destroy,  did  he  put  on  the  doctrine  and 
enter  the  fold  of  either  of  them?  Did  he  imitate  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  43 

Methodist  customs,  or  pat  the  Presbyterian  con- 
fession, or  talk  sweetly  about  Calvinism,  in  order 
to  gain  the  good  will  of  each  or  all?  A  deceiver 
would  have  so  done,  according  to  Christ's  warning 
and  prophecy,  if  these  were  indeed  the  "sheep"; 
but  an  honest  man  and  a  true  prophet,  if  he  spoke 
on  the  matter  at  all,  would  do  just  as  Joseph  Smith 
did.  He  claimed  that  he  had  been  visited  from 
heaven,  and  that  the  Lord  had  told  him  the  churches 
"were  all  wrong,  and  their  creeds  an  abomination 
in  his  sight."  He  served  this  notice  on  all  the 
churches,  by  the  authority  of  heaven,  and  took  the 
consequences.  Hence,  as  all  thinkers  must  admit, 
he  did  not  fill  the  program  for  a  false  prophet; 
therefore  every  application  of  this  text  to  him  and 
his  work  is  a  perversion  of  its  divine  intent.  All 
who  are  acquainted  with  his  history  know  that  if 
he  had  agreed  with  the  churches  and  favored  their 
proceedings,  he  might  have  lived  to  this  day.  What- 
ever else  may  be  said  of  him,  he  certainly  presented 
himself  and  his  calling  honestly  before  the  world. 
He  donned  no  fleece  for  the  purpose  of  affiliating 
with  those  of  like  appearance.  He  came  before 
men  with  a  doctrine  so  utterly  unlike  everything 
found  in  the  churches  of  his  time  that  all  raised 
their  hands  and  voices  against  him  and  denounced 
him.  They  loudly  proclaimed  that  he  bore  no 
resemblance  to  the  "sheep,"  whatever.  Let  this  fact 
be  noted,  for  it  will  be  referred  to  later. 

He  claimed  to  have  been  visited  by  the  angels  of 
God  and  to  have  received  information  regarding  the 
early  inhabitants  of  America;  that  the  descendants 


44  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

of  Joseph  in  Egypt  had  dwelt  here;  that  they  had 
been  visited  by  the  Savior  after  his  crucifixion  at 
Jerusalem;  that  his  church  had  been  organized  as 
in  Jerusalem;  that  divisions  occurred  among  the 
people,  followed  by  wars  and  calamities.  He  was 
told  that  a  record  had  keen  kept  on  metal  plates  by 
the  righteous  among  these  people,  and  that  just 
prior  to  the  death  of  the  last  prophet,  Mormon  by 
name,  he  was  commanded  of  God  to  hide  up  the 
plates  in  the  earth,  and  told  that  in  the  latter  days 
they  would  be  disinterred,  and  in  the  Lord's  hands 
become  a  testimony  by  which  the  restitution  work 
among  Jew  and  Gentile  would  be  introduced,  and 
the  identification  of  the  offspring  of  Israel  be  made 
easier.  The  angel  also  showed  Joseph  Smith  the 
location  of  the  buried  plates  and  gave  him  author- 
ity to  obtain  them,  after  which,  by  inspiration,  he 
translated  them  and  published  their  contents  to  the 
world.  This  was  shown  to  him  to  be  in  fulfillment 
of  Isaiah,  the  twenty-ninth  chapter,  also  of 
Ezekiel  37 :  15-28,  and  other  Bible  prophecies. 

During  and  after  the  time  of  translating  and  pub- 
lishing this  record  (Book  of  Mormon)  to  the  world, 
which  was  completed  in  1830,  many  revelations 
were  given  to  him,  by  the  authority  of  which  the 
Church  of  Christ  was  organized  after  the  ancient 
Bible  pattern,  men  and  women  having  been  bap- 
tized and  a  ministry  ordained.  Thus  was  this 
strange  work  commenced  upon  earth.  But  what  of 
its  doctrine?  Did  the  representatives  of  this  new 
church  seek  favor  at  the  hand  of  other  churches  by 
repeating  the  old  theories  and  traditions  which  a 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       45 

few  centuries  had  made  popular  ?  No !  By  the  Holy 
Spirit  given  them,  they  read  and  understood  the 
Bible  as  it  was  intended  by  the  writers  of  it,  and 
they  were  helped  by  the  plain  teachings  of  the  same 
doctrines  as  found  in  the  Book  of  Mormon;  hence 
they  went  forth  and  preached  Christ  after  the 
manner  of  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  invited 
men  and  women  into  the  church  reorganized  by 
command  of  God,  in  fulfillment  of  prophecy,  and 
identical  in  organization  and  doctrine  with  the 
church  of  the  first  century.  They  promised  just 
what  Jesus  had  authorized  anciently  (see  Mark 
16:  17,  18)  and  what  had  been  included  in  the  com- 
mission, as  renewed  to  themselves. 

Instantly  the  sects  of  the  day  rose  up  and  their 
pulpits  scintillated  fury.  Creeds  felt  the  force  of 
the  onslaught  made  by  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of 
inspired  men,  and  churches,  long  at  a  disagreement, 
combined  to  crush  this  new  evangel.  Powerless  to 
resist  by  scripture  or  reason  the  advancement  of 
this  divine  enterprise,  the  creed  worshipers  seized 
upon  this  text  and,  prostituting  it  to  unholy  service, 
cried  aloud,  "Beware  of  false  prophets!"  Then, 
turning  to  their  creeds,  they  exclaimed,  "Great  is 
our  Diana!  These  .men  say  our  creeds  are  an 
abomination  in  God's  sight,  and  that  they  are 
doomed;  but  our  ancestors  have  framed  them,  and 
by  them  we  will  stand,  for  they  shall  never  be  over- 
thrown!" 

Against  this  combination,  which  was  backed  by 
the  press  and  wisdom  of  the  age,  this  little  church 
planted  its  proclamation  of  divine  authority  and 


46  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

began  to  storm  the  citadels  of  heresy.  The  doc- 
trine that  infants  were  predestined  to  damnation 
was  attacked  with  such  weapons  as,  "Of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven";  "Except  ye  be  converted  and 
become  as  little  children,  ye  can  in  no  wise  enter 
in";  "As  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all 
be  made  alive,"  and  other  equally  pointed  scrip- 
tures. It  was  denounced  as  monstrous  and  utterly 
unlike  the  declared  purpose  and  character  of  God. 
The  dogma  that  hell  was  a  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone into  which  all  who  failed  to  become  Christians 
were  to  be  cast,  and  there  to  be  tortured  eternally, 
never  finding  release  or  cessation,  was  declared  to 
be  an  infamous  misrepresentation  of  the  divine  pur- 
pose and  without  warrant  in  the  Scriptures.  It 
was  shown  that  hell  was  but  a  prison  house 
into  which  the  unsanctified  spirits  of  men 
were  cast  between  death  and  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  where  the  mercy  of  God  could  still 
reach  them  and  from  whence  redemption  was  pos- 
sible, and  that  after  the  final  resurrection,  even  hell 
itself  would  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  (see  Reve- 
lation 20:  14),  where  none  but  the  finally  and  hope- 
lessly incorrigible  would  ever  be  cast.  It  was  also 
proclaimed,  on  Bible  authority,  that  every  act  of 
goodness  would  be  brought  into  account  in  the  judg- 
ment, and  not  a  cup  of  cold  water  given  to  a  dis- 
ciple would  escape  the  notice  and  remuneration  of 
God.  That  every  man  would  be  rewarded  or  pun- 
ished according  to  his  earnings  or  deserts,  some 
inheriting  the  "glory  of  the  sun,"  others  the  "glory 
of  the  moon,"  and  still  others  would  differ  in  glory 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  47 

as  the  stars  vary  in  magnitude.  (1  Corinthians 
15 :  41.)  That  every  man  should  receive  according 
to  his  works. 

It  was  announced  also  that  death  of  the  body  did 
not  end  human  probation,  but  that  every  man  and 
woman  would  hear  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  the  spirit 
world  before  the  resurrection,  if  no  opportunity  had 
reached  them  while  in  the  flesh;  that  the  millions 
of  heathen  would  there  come  into  remembrance,  and 
the  atonement  of  Christ  would  be  published  till  all 
who  had  lived  on  earth  would  have  privilege  to 
believe  and  obey,  and  that  Jesus  had  opened  up  the 
work  of  preaching  in  the  spirit  prison  house,  just 
as  he  had  commenced  it  among  men  in  the  flesh  and 
for  the  same  purpose.  (See  1  Peter  3:  18-20; 
4:5,  6;  John  5:25.) 

The  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  were  freely 
used  to  prove  that  the  Jews  would  again  come  into 
remembrance;  that  the  former  fertility  and  glory 
would  be  restored  to  Palestine;  that  Israel  and 
Judah  would  return  there  and  be  reinstated;  and 
that,  according  to  Isaiah  29:  11-17,  as  interpreted 
and  explained  by  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  day  of 
that  wondrous  restoration  was  at  hand.  The  crown- 
ing result  of  all  this  was  declared  to  be  the  second 
coming  of  Christ  to  dwell  among  his  people  on  the 
earth.  It  was  announced  that  his  coming  would  be 
as  literal  as  at  the  first.  Further,  it  was  taught  that 
the  new  church,  as  then  organized,  was  to  be  one  of 
the  great  factors  in  developing  these  promised  con- 
ditions, and,  as  a  testimony  to  those  believing  the 
proclamation,  the  Holy  Ghost  was  promised  to  give 


48  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

prophecy,  tongues,   miracles,   healings,   etc.,   as   in 
former  times. 

In  consequence  of  this  proclamation,  the  pulpit 
and  press  retaliated  upon  the  new  religion  with 
open  denunciation  and  abuse,  as  well  as  secret 
methods,  to  overthrow.  The  fire  and  brimstone 
definition  of  hell  was  more  boisterously  proclaimed 
than  ever,  and  scripture  was  distorted  from  its 
original  intent  to  bolster  this  fearful  misrepresen- 
tation. Calvinism  bristled  and  reasserted  its  pre- 
destination ideas  with  an  enthusiasm  worthy  of  a 
better  cause,  and  all  churches  combined  in  denounc- 
ing the  Book  of  Mormon  and  Joseph  Smith  for 
daring  to  assert  the  approaching  restoration  of 
Palestine  and  its  reoccupation  by  the  Jews.  The 
second  literal  appearance  of  Christ  was  branded  as 
the  base  materialistic  conception  of  an  untutored 
carnal  mind,  and  worshipers  everywhere  were 
exhorted  to  look  for  the  coming  of  Christ  only  in 
the  hour  and  article  of  death.  It  was  to  be  only  a 
figurative  or  spiritual  coming.  Probation  after 
death  was  execrated  upon  sectarian  altars,  and  the 
old  quotations,  "There  is  no  repentance  beyond  the 
grave,"  and  "As  death  leaves  us,  so  judgment  will 
find  us,"  were  vociferated  loudly,  though  neither 
preachers  nor  hearers  had  ever  found  them  in  the 
Bible.  The  ordinance  of  "laying  on  of  hands"  for 
healing  the  sick  and  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  said  to  be  a  piece  of  blasphemous  jugglery, 
and  everywhere  holy  hands  were  raised  against  this 
innovation  upon  popularized  religious  customs  of 
the  age. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  49 

Truly  it  was  a  time  of  testing  to  the  infant  church. 
Judged  from  a  human  standpoint,  all  the  odds  were 
against  it.  Palestine  for  seventeen  hundred  years 
had  lain  a  barren  waste;  the  Jew  was  a  hiss  and  a 
byword  in  all  the  earth,  and  citizenship  was  denied 
him  under  popular  governments.  Not  a  circum- 
stance could  be  pointed  to  as  indicating  the  pos- 
sibility of  his  return  to  build  up  and  reinhabit  the 
land  of  his  forefathers.  The  wisdom  of  the  world 
had  for  generations  been  strengthening  creed  forti- 
fications till  everything  was  being  interpreted  in 
their  light  and  by  their  standards,  even  the  Bible 
itself  not  escaping.  What  had  these  advocates  of 
the  new  revelation  to  fall  back  upon  in  facing  these 
giant  conditions?  Upon  what  could  they  rely  for 
support  and  defense  in  executing  the  mission 
assigned  them  of  God?  Simply  the  impregnable 
barrier  behind  which  their  Master  sheltered  him- 
self when  confronted  by  the  arch  enemy, — "It  is 
written."  There  they  stood  and  compelled  the 
churches  of  the  day  to  attack  their  own  pretended 
foundation,  the  word  of  God,  if  they  would  uproot 
or  annihilate  this  faith.  It  was  and  is  to  this  hour 
a  duplicate  of  the  spectacle  heaven  gazed  upon  when 
the  early-day  apostles  were  denounced  as  heretics 
for  contending  for  the  faith  set  forth  in  the  very 
Scriptures  their  persecutors  pretended  to  revere. 
Christ,  in  the  preparation  work  for  the  final  "resti- 
tution of  all  things,"  is  as  great  a  stumbling-stone  to 
this  age  as  was  Jesus  the  crucified  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago..  The  gospel  then  was  too  insignificant  to 
command  the  admiration  of  the  Pharisees,  and 


50  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

to-day  it  is  too  contemptible  to  enlist  the  respect  of 
churchianity. 

When  the  work  began,  however,  notice  was  served 
on  its  despisers,  as  in  Christ's  day,  that  it  was  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  the  germ,  and  though,  like  the 
tiny  mustard-seed,  it  seemed  too  small  to  excite 
respect,  yet  it  would  grow  until  the  birds  of  the  air 
would  lodge  in  the  branches  of  it.  And  we  who  live 
in  the  time  of  its  maturing  can  see  the  fulfillment 
of  this  in  the  fact  that  its  philosophy  has  extended 
and  permeated  society  until  every  once  popular 
creed  is  tottering  to  its  fall,  and  every  revision 
thereof  is  being  made  in  a  way  that  brings  them 
nearer  into  line  with  this  doctrine  which  provoked 
their  hatred  and  called  forth  their  anathemas 
seventy-five  years  ago.  They  are  meeting  the 
advanced  education,  sentiment,  and  demand  of  the 
present  by  striking  out  of  their  creeds  what  this 
church  condemned  over  half  a  century  ago,  and 
they  are  now  beginning  to  introduce  into  their  ser- 
mons and  platforms  many  of  the  features  which 
were  embodied  in  this  faith  when  they  despised  it 
at  that  time. 

The  revision  of  the  Bible  has  practically  elimi- 
nated the  old  idea  of  hell,  and  scarcely  any  of  the 
forward  men  of  thought  will  now  use  sputtering 
brimstone  as  a  means  of  winning  souls  to  Christ. 
The  creeds  are  being  revised  so  as  to  eliminate  the 
infant  damnation  feature,  as  also  the  theory  of 
eternal  roasting  because  God  had  ordained  some 
thereunto  for  his  own  pleasure  and  glory. 

Many  of  the    leading  divines    in   England   and 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  51 

America  have  either  directly  or  indirectly  taught  or 
favored  the  idea  of  probation  after  death  in  some 
form,  among  whom  may  be  named  Cannon  Farrar, 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Professor  Briggs,  and  others. 
The  Congregational  Church  is  divided  pretty  evenly 
upon  this  question,  and  some  have  been  ordained 
to  carry  consolation  to  the  heathen  by  publishing 
this  doctrine.  The  chief  school  of  its  theology  has 
been  made  a  feeder  for  this  so-called  heresy,  until 
the  law  of  the  land  has  been  invoked  by  creed  lovers 
to  stop  it. 

Twenty-three  years  after  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  first  published,  the  early  and  latter  rain,  after 
seventeen  hundred  years'  absence,  returned  to 
Palestine,  and  the  land  has  since  become  fruitful,  as 
in  ancient  years.  This  has  caused  the  long  exiled 
Jew  to  turn  his  eye  thitherward,  and  many  thou- 
sands have  gathered  there  to  build  the  waste  places 
and  to  abide  until  their  Messiah  shal  come.  A  line 
of  railroad  has  been  constructed  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jaffa,  and  from  American  shops  have  been  fur- 
nished the  locomotives  that  now  dash  across  the 
territory  once  traversed  by  the  weary  feet  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Meanwhile,  the  Jew  has  been  relieved 
of  much  of  the  disability  that  once  attached,  and 
has  climbed  to  the  head  of  nations,  and  helped  con- 
trol and  regulate  the  machinery  of  Gentile  govern- 
ments. Wealth  unto  multiplied  millions  has  poured 
into  his  lap,  and  by  it  he  has  placed  vast  territory 
subject  to  his  control,  and  made  nations  heedful  of 
his  diction.  In  fact,  he  has  thus  established  his  feet 
more  firmly  than  some  of  the  dynasties  of  the  pres- 


52  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

ent.  Religious  leaders  of  the  present  are  engaged 
in  convening  conferences  wherein  the  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile pulpiteers  may  announce  their  views,  compare 
their  arguments,  and  better  understand  and  appre- 
ciate each  other.  Governments  have  been  consid- 
ering means  of  relief  for  the  oppressed  Hebrews  in 
certain  places,  and  indications  on  every  hand  omen 
the  speedy  fruition  of  the  ancient  Jewish  hope,  for 
which  through  long  years  they  have  prayed.  The 
Zionistic  movement  is  becoming  international  in  its 
importance. 

The  second  coming  of  Christ  is  now  a  theme  in 
almost  every  popular  pulpit,  and  the  more  venture- 
some ones  among  our  preachers  are  vying  with  each 
other  in  trying  to  emphasize  their  faith  in  this 
glorious  event.  Scarcely  a  man  of  note  among  the 
churches  will  now  seriously  question  the  probability 
of  it.  The  press  has  fallen  into  line,  and  the  popu- 
larity of  the  theme  is  already  assured.  Not  only  this, 
but  scores  of  pamphlets  and  leaflets  of  various  sizes 
are  being  published  and  circulated  by  the  authority 
of  popular  churches,  through  chosen  committees, 
setting  forth  the  scriptural  warrant  and  reasonable 
ground  for  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  healing  the  sick 
by  faith,  including  prayer  and  the  anointing  with 
oil  and  the  laying  on  of  hands.  Thus,  one  by  one, 
the  points  of  doctrine  embodied  in  what  the  world 
denounced  as  heresy  seventy-five  years  ago  are 
being  incorporated  into  the  systems  of  the  present, 
and  are  being  hailed  with  delight  as  evidencing  the 
progress  of  intelligence  and  piety  in  the  church. 

As   we  enter  these   institutions   where   theology 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  53 

is  prepared  for  the  masses,  to  suit  the  growing 
demands,  it  is  at  least  interesting  to  be  able  to  step 
up  to  the  tables  on  which  these  doctors  of  divinity 
have  been  dissecting  the  old  creeds,  and  pick  up  a 
discarded  fragment  of  Calvinism,  or  a  dismembered 
branch  of  Arminianism,  or  a  number  of  abandoned 
points  of  Protestantism,  around  which  once  clus- 
tered the  devotion  of  worshipers  a  generation  or  two 
ago,  and  for  the  preservation  of  which  the  fagots 
were  piled  and  the  torch  applied,  and  to  be  told  by 
the  men  who  hold  the  scalpel  that  these  are 
damnable  heresies,  unfit  to  be  taught  and  unworthy 
of  place  in  the  theology  of  this  enlightened  age. 
Our  interest  changes  to  gratification  when  we  learn 
that  the  places  from  whence  these  offensive  dogmas 
have  been  carved  have  been  filled  with  fragments 
of  what  we  recognize  at  once  as  being  part  of  the 
doctrine  proclaimed  by  Joseph  Smith  three  quarters 
of  a  century  ago.  When  he  "piped,"  they  would  not 
"dance";  when  he  "mourned,"  they  "would  not 
lament."  When  he  preached  the  above  items  of 
doctrine,  or  denounced  the  creeds,  he  was  derided 
and  persecuted,  and  slain  as  a  dangerous  and 
damnable  heresy-breeder;  but  now  that  the 
despicable  "mustard-seed"  has  become  a  tree,  and 
the  tottering  creeds  are  seeking  shelter  in  its 
branches,  or  plucking  twigs  therefrom  to  cover  the 
deformity  discovered  in  themselves,  they  all  enter 
for  the  dance.  But  who  among  them  all  has  ever 
given  credit  to  the  young  man  who  first  faced  the 
fire  and  endured  the  obloquy  that  these  doctrines 
invited  or  provoked?  The  second  part  of  our  text 


54  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

tells  of  a  poor  wise  man  whose  wisdom  delivered 
the  city,  but  who  was  not  remembered  by  those  who 
enjoyed  the  benefits  of  his  service.  Religious  his- 
tory of  this  and  the  past  generation,  if  faithful, 
should  tell  of  the  divine  wisdom  given  a  young  man 
by  which  provision  was  made  seventy-five  years 
ahead  for  the  exigencies  of  Christendom.  It  should 
tell  of  the  curses  that  were  heaped  upon  him  by 
those  who  should  have  loved  him  best.  It  should 
tell  how,  after  denouncing  his  doctrine  as  infamous, 
they  finally  pilfered  from  that  doctrine  the  points 
requisite  to  deliver  their  creeds  from  disaster.  It 
should  tell  that,  notwithstanding  this  was  done  and 
Christendom  reveled  in  the  temporary  advantage 
thus  secured,  and  the  deliverance  of  their  citadels 
from  dishonor  and  ruin,  they  even  failed  to  remem- 
ber that  same  young  man,  but  boasted  in  the 
advancement  they  themselves  had  made  under  the 
wise  direction  of  hired  theologians  and  skillful 
revisers. 

Reader,  if  those  doctrines,  now  becoming  popular, 
are  true,  they  were  no  less  true  seventy-five  years 
ago,  and  the  clergy  who  denounced  them  were  not 
the  servants  of  God.  If  the  religions  of  that  time 
were  the  standards  by  which  the  religion  introduced 
by  Joseph  Smith  was  measured  when  they  pro- 
nounced him  an  impostor,  what  shall  be  said  of  the 
men  who  are  now  patching  their  "fleeces"  or  phi- 
losophy with  pieces  taken  from  his  system,  which 
was  so  utterly  unholy  and  impious  then  as  to  invite 
upon  it  their  most  terrible  imprecations  ? 

Joseph  Smith  introduced  his  doctrine  by  God's 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  55 

command,  and  never  attempted  to  don  any  fleece  then 
known  to  religious  bodies  in  order  to  gain  favor  with 
the  flock.  For  this  boldness  they  denounced  him  as 
a  false  prophet.  Since  then  the  God  who  authorized 
him  has  been  supplementing  his  work  and  the  work 
of  his  co-laborers,  and  what  is  the  result?  Simply 
that  the  world  is  rising  to  indorse  his  utterance.  If 
he  voiced  an  untruth  when  he  said  the  churches 
were  wrong  and  the  creeds  were  an  abomination  in 
God's  sight,  if  he  was  guilty  of  blasphemy  in  this, 
what  shall  be  said  of  the  wise  men  who  are  now 
revising  a  certain  creed,  and  some  of  whom  declared 
that  specific  features  therein  were  damnable  here- 
sies, that  they  did  not  believe  in  and  ought  not  to  be 
held  by  them,  and  should  not  extend  the  infamy  and 
disgrace  of  them  to  their  children?  In  short,  let  us 
ask  you  to  remember  that  the  points  referred  to  a 
few  paragraphs  back  were  no  part  of  the  creeds 
seventy-five  years  ago,  and  in  so  far  as  they  may  be 
now,  they  justify  us  in  pointing  to  the  men  who  use 
them  in  connection  therewith,  and,  asking  you  to 
"beware  of  false  prophets,  who  come  unto  you  in 
sheep's  clothing."  These  doctrines  belong  not  to 
the  creeds,  but  to  the  gospel  proclaimed  by  Joseph 
Smith  and  for  which  he  was  denounced  a  false 
prophet  by  the  admirers  of  the  very  systems  .that 
have  been  repaired  by  material  first  declared  in  this 
generation  by  him.  If  it  is  now  being  discovered 
that  he  alone  wore  the  genuine  sheep's  garment, 
then  all  those  unlike  his  were  false. 

Hence,  we  submit  finally  the  fact  that  "by  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  The  fruit  of  a  prophet  is 


56  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

prophecy.  If  the  prophecy  is  fulfilled,  then  he  was  a 
true  prophet.  If  not,  then  he  was  a  false  prophet. 
This  is  the  only  legitimate  test ;  but  failing  to  see  any 
hope  of  defeating  the  young  man's  work  by  such 
honorable  means,  his  enemies  misapplied  this  scrip- 
ture, as  they  did  the  other  part,  and  traduced  his 
reputation,  as  the  Pharisees  did  that  of  Christ.  He 
was  charged  with  various  crimes  against  the  law, 
including  immorality,  and  these  charges  were  held 
up  as  evidence  that  he  could  not  be  a  prophet  of 
God.  Those  who  thus  vilified  him  were  reckless  of 
the  fact  that  even  were  their  charges  true,  such 
judgment  as  they  passed  thereupon  would  destroy 
the  testimony  of  Moses,  and  David,  and  Solomon, 
and  even  Abraham  and  Peter,  and  numerous  other 
Bible  worthies.  If  they  could  show  in  Joseph 
Smith's  life  lapses  from  virtue,  and  these  could 
prove  that  God  had  never  chosen  him  as  a  prophet, 
and  his  revelations  and  testimony  were  false,  then, 
to  be  consistent,  they  would  have  to  strike  out  all  the 
Bible  that  contains  the  testimony  of  the  others,  for 
they  certainly  lived  wide  of  the  mark  appointed  of 
God  as  a  gauge  of  moral  conduct. 

This  will  not  do,  however,  for  should  I  prophesy 
to-day  in  God's  name  of  the  coming  of  a  pestilence 
one  .week  hence,  and  it  should  come  as  predicted, 
its  coming  would  confirm  me  a  true  prophet,  even 
though  I  fell  into  sin  before  it  came  and  perished 
by  it  when  it  arrived.  By  the  fulfillment  or  the 
failure  of  the  young  man's  prophecies  alone  we 
determine  him  a  true  or  false  prophet,  and  we  sub- 
mit the  foregoing  evidences  in  support  of  the  claim 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  57 

that  he  was  sent  of  God.  Much  other  evidence  is 
at  hand,  but  we  forbear  introducing  it,  as  we  have 
already  passed  the  limit  of  our  intended  space; 
hence  we  conclude  with  our  humble  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  gospel  delivered  to  Joseph  Smith  by 
an  angel  of  God  and  by  him  proclaimed  to  the  sons 
of  men.  Of  his  character  we  only  know  what  those 
who  had  opportunity  to  learn  have  said  of  him,  and 
from  that  we  have  always  believed  and  do  now 
believe  him  to  have  been  a  good  man.  If  he  lived 
by  the  doctrine  he  published,  he  must  have  been  very 
good.  Of  the  message  he  brought  we  ask  no  man's 
opinion.  Its  divinity  is  self-evident;  its  potency 
for  good  in  the  human  character  we  have  abun- 
dantly proven;  its  adaptation  to  human  necessity 
is  witnessed  by  its  effects  within  the  church  that  has 
closely  adhered  to  its  principles.  If  an  increased 
love  for  Christ  and  humanity,  a  closer  communion 
with  God,  a  more  intense  dislike  for  iniquity,  and  a 
more  complete  consecration  to  the  cause  and  inter- 
ests of  holiness  and  heaven  are  the  fruitage  of 
heavenly  sowing,  then  the  claim  of  divine  origin  for 
the  doctrine  he  published  is  fully  vindicated,  and  we 
expect  to  lay  these  evidences  at  last,  together  with 
the  testimony  of  the  Bible,  at  the  feet  of  God  and 
his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  as  reasons  for  our  adhering 
thereto.  To  us  this  later  revelation  is  a  treasure 
of  untold  worth,  and  we  rejoice  in  its  possession, 
though  to  others  it  has  proven  to  be  "the  modern 
stumbling-stone." 


58  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


All  or  None. 


If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples 
indeed.— John  8:  31. 

In  the  mission  and  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ  are 
revealed  the  exact  measure  of  human  necessity. 
God  took  the  measure  accurately  and  furnished 
the  supply.  There  is  neither  excess  nor  lack  therein. 
It  is  absolutely  complete. 

The  above  utterance  of  the  Savior  gives  no  prom- 
ise to  those  who  merely  make  a  start  in  his  service, 
or  who  only  go  so  far  as  to  believe  that  he  is  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God  on  whom  rests  the  burden  of 
saving  men  by  his  free  grace.  James  says  "Devils 
also  believe  and  tremble."  They  acknowledged  the 
divinity  of  Christ  on  different  occasions;  but  their 
faith  in  and  their  confession  of  that  divinity  did  not 
make  them  sons  of  God  or  heirs  of  the  kingdom. 
Jesus  himself  said : 

Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. — Matthew  7 :  21. 

Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  which 
I  say?— Luke  6 :  46. 

By  this  it  is  made  plain  that  while  belief  in  his 
appointment  as  Lord  and  Christ  is  needful  as  a  com- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  59 

mencement  in  our  religious  career,  it  is  only  a 
beginning,  and  unless  supplemented  by  a  continu- 
ance in  the  course  prescribed  by  him,  will  not  secure 
for  us  an  entrance  into  his  kingdom  and  glory. 
Nicodemus  acknowledged  that  Jesus  was  a  "teacher 
sent  from  God"  (see  John  3:  1-7),  but  staggered  at 
the  first  lesson  that  teacher  gave  him  regarding  the 
work  necessary  for  those  who  would  enter  the  king- 
dom of  God.  His  mind,  versed  only  in  carnal  con- 
cerns, could  not  readily  discern  how  a  birth  or  bap- 
tism of  water  and  the  Spirit  could  constitute  a  gate- 
way to  that  kingdom.  But  the  divine  teacher  was 
proclaiming  the  word  which  his  Father  had  com- 
manded him,  and  the  pupil  must  either  "continue" 
in  the  word  as  fast  as  given,  or  fail  to  graduate. 

Others  went  even  further  than  Nicodemus,  but 
finally  reached  a  point  where  they  resolved  to  drop 
Jesus  because  his  word  exacted  more  than  they 
were  ready  to  yield.  "This  is  an  hard  saying;  who 
can  hear  it?"  said  they,  and  "from  that  time  many 
of  his  disciples  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with 
him."  (John  6:66.)  They  were  ready  to  indorse 
Jesus  as  far  as  his  counsel  suited  them,  but  were  not 
willing  to  surrender  all  their  predilections  at  the 
shrine  of  their  profession  of  faith  in  his  divinity. 
They  had  mental  reservations,  and  exercised  the 
privilege  of  asserting  them  when  asked  to  follow 
Christ  beyond  the  limit  of  their  traditions.  They 
wanted  to  divide  time  and  place  with  Christ,  allow- 
ing him  to  be  teacher  in  some  matters,  but  requiring 
that  he  should  surrender  that  office  to  them  and 
their  traditions  in  others.  How  significant  the 


60  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

question  and  answer  that  followed  their  departure! 
Turning  to  the  twelve,  Jesus  inquired,  "Will  ye 
also  go  away?"  To  which  Peter  replied,  "Lord,  to 
whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal 
life."  The  twelve  understood  that  those  "words" 
must  be  continued  in,  in  order  to  secure  eternal  life, 
and  they  could  not  be  found  elsewhere.  Much  as  the 
carnal  will  might  incline  them  to  turn  away,  it  was 
a  vital  question,  "To  whom  shall  we  go?"  They 
might  find  other  leaders,  whose  words  would  not 
demand  so  much  obedience  and  self-denial,  but 
where  could  one  be  found  who  offered  so  sure  a 
guarantee  of  eternal  life?  To  them  it  was  a  clear 
case:  they  must  either  continue  in  his  word,  or 
forfeit  their  title  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  They 
must  live  by  every  word  that  proceeded  from  the 
mouth  of  God,  and  Jesus  was  the  mouth  of  God  to 
them.  He  had  the  "words  of  eternal  life." 

The  Jews,  to  whom  the  words  of  the  text  at  the 
head  of  this  article  were  addressed,  had  started  or 
the  journey  toward  the  kingdom,  but  never  reached 
it.  They  believed  in  Jesus,  and  called  him  "Lord;" 
but  instantly  his  "word"  shot  like  a  thunderbolt 
at  their  traditions,  they  challenged  his  right  and 
counsel  as  an  educator,  and  drew  from  his  lips  the 
startling  words,  "Ye  are  of  your  father,  the  Devil." 
They  mistook  the  nature  of  the  obligations  to  be 
assumed  in  seeking  to  enter  into  the  kingdom ;  they 
failed  to  consider  that  instantly  they  undertook  to 
enter  into  dispute  with  Christ,  they  were  following 
the  leadership  of  him  who,  in  the  Garden  of  Eden, 
contradicted  God,  and  they  were  therefore  his  chil- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  61 

dren  to  whom  they  yielded  themselves  servants  to 
obey.  They  failed  to  "continue"  in  Christ's  word, 
hence  were  not  his  disciples  indeed,  though  they 
believed  in  him;  they  were  aliens  still. 

The  lapse  of  ages  since  then  has  not  changed  the 
conditions  and  terms  of  discipleship.  The  ever- 
lasting truth,  written  by  the  Apostle  John,  is 
applicable  to-day.  Hear  it : 

Whosoever  transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ,  hath  not  God.  He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ,  he  hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.— 2  John  9. 

"Abideth  in" — not  merely  starteth  in  pursuit  of. 
The  words  abide  and  continue  are  identical  in 
meaning  in  their  connections  here,  and  John  is  in 
harmony  with  his  Lord  in  the  testimony  borne. 
Why  is  it  that  like  testimony  is  not  everywhere 
borne  to-day  by  those  who  assert  their  right  to 
teach  for  God?  Why  is  it  that  thousands  of  such 
are  engaged  in  picking  out  favorite  and  congenial 
texts  from  the  sayings  of.  Jesus  and  the  apostles, 
and  parading  them  before  the  minds  of  their 
hearers,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  equally  important 
sayings  which  bear  on  the  same  great  question? 
Why  announce  that  "If  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he, 
ye  shall  die  in  your  sins,"  and  with  the  next  breath 
denounce,  "Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
"God,"  when  both  of  these  statements  fell  from  the 
mouth  of  "God  manifest  in  the  flesh"?  Why  pub- 
lish as  a  truth  that  "He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized shall  be  saved,"  and  then  deny  that  "these 
signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe,"  when  both 


62  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

statements  belong  to  the  same  commission  and  form 
a  part  of  the  Savior's  command  and  promise?  Why 
teach  that  the  promised  Comforter  will  give  "joy  and 
gladness,"  and  then  hesitate  to  declare  that  it  will 
"testify  of  me,"  "teach  you  all  things/'  "bring  all 
things  to  your  remembrance,"  and  "show  you  things 
to  come"?  Why  publish  a  need  of  teachers  and  pas- 
tors and  deacons  in  the  church,  and  at  the  same  time 
assert  that  apostles  and  prophets  are  unnecessary, 
when  Jesus,  by  his  Father's  direction,  made  them  a 
part  of  his  church,  as  a  means  of  "perfecting  the 
saints,"  and  set  them  in  the  organization  "for  the 
work  of  the  ministry"?  Why,  oh,  why  start  out 
with  a  pretension  of  belief  in  Christ  as  the  only 
divine  Counselor,  and  then  drop  him  at  every  point 
where  his  "word"  clashes  with  the  utterance  of  a 
human  creed?  If  Christ  be  worthy  of  any,  he 
is  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  and  if  he  be  proven 
unworthy  in  one  instance,  he  ceases  to  be  a  safe 
foundation  at  all. 

The  late  champion  of  agnosticism  in  America  took 
considerable  license  with  the  Bible.  He  did  not 
decry  nor  absolutely  discard  all  the  sayings  of  Jesus ; 
but  he  picked  up  for  his  admiration  all  that  struck 
his  fancy  favorably,  and  denounced  all  that  did  not 
agree  with  his  conception  of  matters.  Against  this 
sacrilegious  procedure  the  pulpits  rose  in  a  show  of 
righteous  indignation;  but  where  was  the  greater 
sin?  Was  it  in  being  blind  and  acting  as  the  sight- 
less do,  or  in  declaring  "we  see,"  yet  doing  likewise? 
Jesus,  when  asked  by  the  cavilers,  "Are  we  blind, 
also?"  answered,  "If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should  have 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  63 

no  sin:  but  now  ye  say,  We  see;  therefore  your  sin 
remaineth." — John  9 :  41. 

We  admit  that  the  agnostic's  course  was  condem- 
nable ;  but  he  did  not  profess  any  faith  in  the  divin- 
ity of  Christ,  hence  used  his  sayings  as  he  would 
those  of  Huxley  or  Paine ;  but  what  shall  be  said  of 
the  same  course  when  it  is  being  pursued  by  men 
who  start  out  with  the  announcement  of  their  faith 
in  Christ  as  "God  manifest  in  the  flesh,"  who  "spake 
as  never  man  spake"?  What  shall  be  thought  of 
those  who  preface  all  their  teachings  with  a  devout 
exhortation  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  "light  of  the 
world,"  and  who  tell  us  to  "let  God  be  true,"  though 
he  prove  "every  man  a  liar,"  and  then  proceed  to 
pick  out  for  us  the  portions  of  Christ's  sayings  we 
should  believe,  and  advise  us  as  to  the  folly  of 
accepting  any  of  the  remainder?  Let  the  agnostic's 
course  be  condemned  without  stint,  if  we  will;  but 
let  not  the  man  who  condemns  him  extol  those  who 
do  the  same  work  in  more  sacred  places  and  under 
title  of  authorized  representatives  of  Christ. 

"If  ye  continue  in  my  word"  shows  no  halting- 
place  nor  hesitating  corner  along  the  entire  line  of 
Christ's  counsel  for  the  one  who  would  be  a  dis- 
ciple indeed.  He  who  announces  his  discovery  of 
a  place  where  he  can  rightfully  cease  to  "abide  in  the 
doctrine,"  thereby  asserts  the  forfeiture  of  his  title 
to  the  kingdom.  If  divine  judgment  alone  can  be 
trusted  to  formulate  a  saving  plan  for  the  race,  it 
alone  can  be  relied  on  to  judge  of  the  virtue  to 
accrue  from  the  several  integral  features  of  that 
plan,  after  having  measured  the  necessity  it  is  to 


64  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

meet.  What  God  has  lodged  in  those  details  can 
only  be  secured  by  observing  them  in  their  order, 
and  the  real  believer  in  Christ  will  not  only  accept 
as  true  the  announcement,  "Thy  word  is  truth,"  but 
will  as  cheerfully  attest  his  confidence  and  prove  his 
discipleship  by  heeding  the  counsel,  "continue," 
"abide." 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  65 


Repentance— What  Is  It? 


Bring  forth  therefore  fruits  meet  for  repentance. — Mat- 
thew 3 :  8. 

I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repent- 
ance.— Matthew  9 :  13. 

All  should  come  to  repentance. — 2  Peter  3 :  9. 

And  they  went  out  and  preached  that  men  should  repent. 
—Mark  6:  12. 

God  .  .  .  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent. — 
Acts  17:  30. 

What  is  repentance,  and  what  part  does  it  perform 
in  the  work  of  salvation? 

Repentance  is  the  relinquishment  of  any  practice,  from 
the  conviction  that  it  has  offended  God.  Sorrow,  fear,  and 
anxiety  are  properly  not  parts,  but  adjuncts,  of  repentance; 
yet  they  are  too  closely  connected  with  it  to  be  easily  sepa- 
rated.— Rambler. 

With  this  definition  we  agree,  and  hence  introduce 
it  by  way  of  contrast  with  that  which  answers  in 
many  places  for  repentance,  but  which  fails  to  con- 
tribute to  society's  improvement. 

The  church  which  finds  in  belief,  as  an  abstract 
principle,  the  alpha  and  omega  of  its  theory  of  sal- 
vation, does  not  offer  to  society  a  guarantee  such  as 
the  Author  of  Christianity  intended.  Christ 
intended  that  his  economy  should  be  measured  by 
the  same  standards  as  he  introduced  for  the  meas- 


66  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

urement  of  others.  When  he  said  of  false  prophets, 
"By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them ;  do  men  gather 
grapes  of  thorns  or  figs  of  thistles?"  he  justified  the 
inference  that  true  prophets  could  be  discerned  by 
adopting  the  same  rule  of  observance.  Whoever 
reads  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  wherein  is  outlined 
the  character  and  career  of  sainthood,  will  be  con- 
vinced that  the  "fruits"  of  such  kind  of  living  would 
furnish  to  society  its  noblest  elements  and  truest 
safeguard.  While  enjoying  such  "figs"  and 
"grapes,"  society  would  never  pronounce  the  vines 
that  yielded  them  either  "thorns"  or  "thistles." 

The  mission  of  the  gospel,  as  announced  by  Christ, 
was  and  is  "not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to 
repentance."  If  the  above  definition  of  repentance 
be  a  correct  one,  then  society  could  have  no  better 
assurance  of  safety  than  would  result  from  the  suc- 
cess of  Christ's  mission. 

Such  repentance  implies  reform,  yet  we  often 
hear  the  word  used  and  applied  as  though  it  had  no 
other  meaning  than  grief  or  sorrow.  Paul  the 
Apostle  justified  the  conclusion  that  repentance  is  a 
consequence  of  sorrow,  for  in  his  second  letter  to 
the  Corinthians  he  wrote :  "For  godly  sorrow  work- 
eth  repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of: 
but  the  sorrow  of  the  world  worketh  death."  (7 :  10.) 
In  the  following  verse  he  declares  that  the  repent- 
ance he  referred  to  had  borne  fruit  in  carefulness, 
declaring  of  themselves,  fear,  vehement  desire,  and 
zeal.  Here  was  the  evidence  that  their  repentance, 
was  after  a  "godly  sort."  The  "fruits"  were  of  a 
character  to  advertise  the  virtue  of  the  tree  upon 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  67 

which  they  grew.    In  proportion  as  the  fruits  were 
desirable  the  tree  would  rise  in  estimation. 

When  John  the  Baptist  was  approached  by  the 
people,  the  publicans  and  soldiers,  separately,  after 
he  had  given  them  the  withering  rebuke  found 
recorded  in  Luke  3:  7,  wherein  he  called  them  a 
"generation  of  vipers,"  they  each  asked  in  turn, 
"What  shall  we  do?"  His  answer  dealt  with  the  line 
of  work  belonging  to  each,  and  demanded  reform. 
He  knew  what  their  practices  had  been,  and  he  met 
them  on  their  separate  grounds  with  the  doctrine 
of  repentance  as  it  applied  to  them.  Here  is  the 
account : 

Bring  forth  therefore  fruits  worthy  of  repentance,  and 
begin  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our 
father:  for  I  say  unto  you,  That  God  is  able  of  these  stones 
to  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham.  And  now  also  the  ax 
is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees:  every  tree  therefore  which 
bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into 
the  fire.  And  the  people  asked  him,  saying,  What  shall  we 
do  then?  He  answereth  and  saith  unto  them,  He  that  hath 
two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that  hath  none;  and  he 
that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  likewise.  Then  came  also  pub- 
licans to  be  baptized,  and  said  unto  him,  Master,  what  shall 
we  do?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Exact  no  more  than  that 
which  is  appointed  you.  And  the  soldiers  likewise  demanded 
of  him,  saying,  And  what  shall  we  do?  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Do  violence  to  no  man,  neither  accuse  any  falsely; 
and  be  content  with  your  wages. — Luke  3 :  8-14. 

This  was  practical,  and  embodied  the  intent  of 
the  gospel  principle  in  their  cases.  So  it  applies 
everywhere. 

The  kind  of  repentance  which  dictionaries  classify 
as  "legal  repentance"  is  of  the  sort  which  Paul  called 


68  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

"the  sorrow  of  the  world."  There  is  no  righteous- 
ness in  it,  and  it  ought  not  to  be  taught  as  a  Chris- 
tian principle.  It  consists  of  a  feeling  of  sorrow 
which  comes  to  the  criminal  because  of  the  punish- 
ment about  to  be  inflicted  for  his  wrong-doing.  Had 
he  not  been  arrested,  convicted,  and  condemned  to 
punishment,  he  would  have  felt  no  regret  for  the  in- 
jury he  had  done  his  victims.  So  in  religion,  the  fear 
of  hell,  the  touch  of  disease,  the  prospect  of  death, 
the  thought  of  going  to  meet  a  long-offended  and 
revengeful  God,  produce  sorrow;  but  the  sorrow  is 
for  self,  and  not  for  those  injured  by  his  career  of 
unrighteousness,  nor  because  he  has  violated  the 
laws  of  his  heavenly  Father.  To  call  such  sorrow 
gospel  repentance  is  a  sin,  and  should  be  "repented 
of."  It  worketh  death;  it  is  selfish  in  its  every 
detail.  It  is  a  motion  of  the  carnal  mind,  and  "to  be 
carnally  minded  is  death." 

On  the  other  hand,  genuine  repentance  follows 
sorrow  for  wrong  done,  said,  or  thought.  Its  regrets 
are  that  in  the  past  God  has  been  dishonored,  and 
fellow  mortals  have  been  injured,  good  laws  have 
been  violated,  and  society's  claims  outraged ;  all  this 
in  proportion  to  the  degrees  of  former  sinf ulness.  Its 
resolutions  are  to  "cease  to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do 
well" ;  its  motto  is  "restitution  for  wrong  done,"  so 
far  as  may  be  possible ;  its  business  is  to  "restore 
the  pledge,"  and,  like  Zaccheus,  to  face  about,  and 
instead  of  following  a  career  that  wrought  injury 
to  the  people,  begin  one  that  will  confer  blessings 
to  the  extent  of  the  ability  possessed.  Listen  to  this 
little  man: 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  69 

* 

And  Zaccheus  stood,  and  said  unto  the  Lord;  Behold, 
Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor;  and  if  I 
have  taken  anything  from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I 
restore  him  fourfold.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  This  day  is 
salvation  come  unto  this  house. — Luke  19 :  8,  9. 

This  is  in  agreement  with  the  law  set  forth  under 
Moses  as  bearing  upon  this  subject,  and  which  con- 
tains the  will  of  God  as  shown  in  the  rendering,  as 
follows : 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  If  a  soul  sin, 
and  commit  a  trespass  against  the  Lord,  and  lie  unto  his 
neighbor  in  that  which  was  delivered  him  to  keep,  or  in 
fellowship,  or  in  a  thing  taken  away  by  violence,  or  hath 
deceived  his  neighbor;  or  have  found  that  which  was  lost, 
and  lieth  concerning  it,  and  sweareth  falsely;  in  any  of  all 
these  that  a  man  doeth,  sinning  therein:  then  it  shall  be, 
because  he  hath  sinned,  and  is  guilty,  that  he  shall  restore 
that  which  he  took  violently  away,  or  the  thing  which  he 
hath  deceitfully  gotten,  or  that  which  was  delivered  him  to 
keep,  or  the  lost  thing  which  he  found,  or  all  that  about 
which  he  hath  sworn  falsely;  he  shall  even  restore  it  in  the 
principal,  and  shall  add  the  fifth  part  more  thereto,  and 
give  it  unto  him  to  whom  it  appertaineth,  in  the  day  of  his 
trespass  offering.  And  he  shall  bring  his  trespass  offering 
unto  the  Lord,  .  .  .  and  the  priest  shall  make  an  atonement 
for  him  before  the  Lord:  and  it  shall  be  forgiven  him  for 
anything  of  all  that  he  hath  done  in  trespassing  therein. — 
Leviticus  6:1-7.  (Also  read  Exodus  22:1-17.) 

In  this  instruction  it  is  clear  that  the  restitution 
to  the  injured  party  or  parties  was  to  precede  the 
bringing  of  an  offering  to  the  Lord,  and  forgiveness 
was  promised  only  on  that  condition.  As  we  have 
shown,  this  rule  or  principle  of  restitution  applies 
also  under  the  gospel,  and  where  it  is  ignored  there 
is  no  genuine  repentance,  and  those  who  seek 


70  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

*• 

church  affiliation  or  baptism  by  climbing  up  any 
other  way  are  "thieves  and  robbers"  in  heart.  They 
belong,  as  John  said,  to  a  "generation  of  vipers." 

The  farmer  who  had  wittingly  sold  his  cholera- 
smitten  hogs  to  a  neighbor,  and  thus  entailed  a  loss 
to  the  neighbor  and  a  gain  to  himself,  might  "get 
religion"  and  sorrow  for  sin  after  the  legal  or 
worldly  sort,  without  making  good  that  neighbor's 
loss,  when  it  was  in  his  power  so  to  do;  but  if  his 
sorrow  was  of  a  "godly  sort,"  and  wrought  "repent- 
ance, not  to  be  repented  of,"  one  of  its  first-fruits 
would  be  manifest  in  restoring  that  which  had  been 
dishonorably  obtained. 

The  man  who,  by  oppressing  the  poor,  practicing 
sharp  methods,  extorting  from  his  fellows,  has 
enriched  himself  in  this  world's  goods,  and,  before 
departing  from  this  life,  desires  to  make  his  peace 
with  God,  can  possibly  do  so ;  but  how  rarely  are  such 
persons  ready  to  meet  the  divine  exactions!  Tears, 
sackcloth  and  ashes,  alone,  are  not  the  emblems  of 
repentance  in  such  a  case;  repentance  in  such  an 
one  should  carry  on  its  wings  relief  to  the  oppressed 
and  support  to  the  needy.  It  should  make  terrible 
inroads  upon  his  accumulated  stores  of  wealth;  it 
should  mean  just  what  was  intended  by  the  spirit  of 
Exodus,  the  twenty-second  chapter. 

All  the  faith  a  man  can  exercise,  and  all  the  bap- 
tisms a  man  may  receive,  can  never  absolve  him 
from  the  obligation  to  be  reconciled  to -his  fellow  and 
to  society,  where  it  is  in  his  power  to  become 
reconciled,  by  restitution,  full,  frank,  and  free. 

Our  faith,  or  baptism,  or  sorrow  can  never  pay 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  71 

the  bills  we  owe,  nor  will  Christ  free  us  from  the 
obligation  to  pay  them  if  we  possess  the  wherewith 
to  cancel  them.  Society  finds  a  better  assurance  of 
the  value  of  our  religion  in  the  restitution  we  make 
than  in  all  the  prayers  we  offer  or  the  testimonies 
we  bear.  If  it  is  out  of  our  power  to  do  this,  then  we 
may  have  claim  on  divine  clemency,  for  God  is  not 
unreasonable. 

Repentance  not  only  implies  reform  in  such 
matters,  but  in  all  others.  It  means  a  surrender  of 
all  that  is  wrong,  whether  in  doctrine  or  morals,  as 
fast  as  the  discovery  of  error  is  made.  It  means  a 
casting  out  of  the  Adam  as  a  preparation  to  admit 
the  Christ;  it  means  a  disclaiming  of  the  right  of 
self  to  govern,  and  a  practical  confession  that  we 
belong  to  him  who  "has  bought  us  with  a  price." 

No  subject  should  be  more  constantly  proclaimed 
nor  elaborately  explained  than  this.  The  world 
needs  it  badly,  and  the  church  would  be  improved  by 
having  more  of  it.  Society  would  hail  it  because  of 
it  fruits,  and  angels  in  heaven  would  feel  more  joy 
over  it  than  over  all  the  efforts  being  made  to  win 
the  righteous  and  bedeck  religion  with  the  wealth 
and  glitter  of  the  world.  It  is  a  conversion  mani- 
fest— a  change  of  heart — and  when  it  occurs,  pre- 
pares us  for  the  change  of  state,  and  of  relationship 
to  God,  which  is  brought  about  by  baptism  of  water 
and  the  Spirit.  Baptism  does  not  remit  sin  that  is 
unrepented  of,  so  far  as  we  have  reason  for  believing, 
and  while  baptism  is  "the  door"  into  the  kingdom, 
repentance  is  the  approach  to  the  door.  He  that 


72  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

"climbeth  up  any  other  way"  is  without  divine  pass- 
port to  celestial  life. 

Not  only  is  all  this  included,  but  it  means  also  a 
renunciation  or  abandonment  of  everything  in  reli- 
gious faith  or  doctrine  found  to  be  in  conflict  with 
the  teachings  of  Christ.  The  Pharisees  were  will- 
ing to  take  some  of  Christ's  gospel  as  a  patch  with 
which  to  repair  or  piece  out  their  own  philosophy, 
or  as  "new  wine,"  with  which  to  replenish  their 
carnal  or  "old  bottles";  but  they  were  promptly 
informed  that  such  an  admixture  or  combination 
would  not  be  tolerated  of  God,  and  it  would  prove 
ruinous  to  both  philosophies  if  practiced.  "The  rent 
would  be  made  worse," — the  "bottles  would  burst," 
and  the  wine  be  lost.  The  message  of  Jesus  was  not 
his  own,  but  was  given  him  of  God  (see  John  7 :  16) , 
and  God's  seal  was  on  it,  which  meant  its  absolute 
perfection.  It  was  the  "law  of  the  Spirit  of  life" 
(Romans  8:  2)  ;  it  was  the  "perfect  law  of  liberty" 
(James  1 :  25)  ;  hence,  it  stood  alone,  complete  in 
itself,  with  obligations,  promises,  and  immunities 
distinctly  and  all  its  own.  No  compromise  with  any- 
thing else  could  be  considered,  and  all  who  secured 
its  benefits  must  do  so  by  first  renouncing  all  other 
theories,  and  then  being  baptized  and  made  abso- 
lutely new  "creatures"  by  its  operations  of  grace. 
It  meant  a  complete  surrender  of  all  other  religious 
theories,  a  forswearing  of  all  allegiance  elsewhere, 
and  being  adopted  as  citizens  under  the  banner  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  system  was  absolutely  perfect 
within  itself,  and  those  under  it  never  needed  to  look 
outside  of  it  for  any  essential  to  their  eternal  well- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  73 

being.  The  assemblage  at  Pentecost  was  made  up 
of  "devout  men  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven." 
(See  Acts  2:5.)  Yet  they  were  commanded  to 
"repent"  (verse  38) ,  and  be  immersed  into  the  new 
philosophy,  leaving  behind  their  conflicting  doctrines 
and  traditions.  This  was  requisite  that  upon  their 
baptism  into  the  kingdom  an  absolutely  new  and 
separate  nationality  should  be  established,  where 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  bond  nor  free,  could  be  found 
as  such,  their  faith  distinctions  of  the  past  having 
been  obliterated,  and  where  simply  as  "children  of 
God,  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  they  were  to  be 
known,  and  to  be  recognized  as  disciples  of  Christ 
by  the  love  they  bore  for  each  other.  (See  Galatians 
3:26-28;  John  13:35.) 

Where  complete  surrender  in  faith  and  conduct 
is  not  made,  genuine  repentance  is  not  to  be  found, 
and,  though  forms  and  ceremonies  may  be  observed, 
the  lineage  may  still  be  traced  back  as  before  pro- 
fession was  made.  (See  John  8 :  30-44.) 


74  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Is  Water  Baptism  Essential  to  Salvation? 


To  us  this  question  sounds  about  the  same  as 
would  the  inquiry,  "Is  faith  in  God  necessary?" 
Why  it  should  be  asked  by  persons  who  have  read  the 
Bible  carefully  is  a  mystery  to  us;  but  it  is  being 
asked,  and  that,  too,  by  honest  and  intelligent  per- 
sons; hence  we  venture  a  very  plain  answer,  and  a 
few  plain  reasons  for  that  answer.  We  shall  use 
the  Bible  in  so  doing,  believing  that  God's  word  will 
be  taken  in  preference  to  ours. 

Our  answer  is,  "Yes,  water  baptism  is  essential 
to  salvation." 

In  support  of  this  answer,  we  proceed  in  the  same 
way  as  if  faith,  instead  of  baptism,  were  the  princi- 
ple inquired  of.  Not  a  man  who  accepts  the  claim  of 
inspiration  for  the  Bible  will  doubt  the  necessity  of 
faith  unto  salvation  after  reading: 

But  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  him;  for  he 
that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is 
a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him. — Hebrews  11 :  6. 

He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but  he 
that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned. — Mark  16 :  16. 

These  and  similar  passages  for  ever  settle  the 
question  in  favor  of  faith  being  an  essential  to  salva- 
tion. Consistency,  if  nothing  else,  would  demand 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  75 

that  if  equally  strong,  plain,  and  comprehensive 
texts  could  be  found  supportive  of  water  baptism, 
that  question  would  be  settled  just  as  quickly.  Can 
they  be  found?  Let  us  see  as  we  pass  along.  We 
shall  go  carefully  and  note  the  testimony  of  wit- 
nesses as  we  proceed,  then  give  a  list  of  their  names, 
in  order,  at  the  close. 

Zacharias,  the  priest,  was  visited  by  an  angel 
while  attending  to  his  priestly  office,  and  told  that 
his  prayer  had  been  heard,  and  that  a  son  would  be 
given  him  by  his  wife  Elizabeth.  He  was  to  call 
the  child  John.  The  angel  further  said  of  the  prom- 
ised child: 

For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  shall 
drink  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink;  and  he  shall  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  even  from  his  mother's  womb.  And 
many  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  he  turn  to  the  Lord 
their  God.  And  he  shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elias,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the 
children,  and  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just;  to 
make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord. — Luke  1 :  15-17. 

By  this  we  learn  that  John  was  to  be  the  fore- 
runner of  Christ,  and  was  to  turn  many  from  diso- 
bedience to  the  wisdom  (or  counsel)  of  the  just 
(God),  and  thus  make  ready  a  people  for  what 
Christ  should  bring. 

In  due  time  the  babe  was  born,  and  at  the  time  set 
for  its  circumcision,  friends  gathered  to  witness 
the  ceremony.  Some  suggested  the  name  Zacharias 
for  the  child,  but  its  mother  insisted  that  it  must 
be  called  John.  When  its  father  (who  had  been 
without  power  of  speech  ever  since  the  angel  gave 
him  the  promise  of  a  son)  was  appealed  to,  by  signs, 


76  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

to  settle  the  question,  he  secured  a  writing-tablet  and 
wrote,  "His  name  is  John."  Instantly  upon  writ- 
ing this,  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  was  led  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  prophesy  concerning  the  babe, 
in  these  words: 

And  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of  the  Highest: 
for  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  his 
ways;  to  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people  by  the 
remission  of  their  sins. — Luke  1 :  76,  77. 

We  call  attention  to  these  passages  because  they 
introduce  John  to  us  as  the  agent  of  God,  appointed 
to  do  a  specific  work,  and  Zacharias  as  a  prophet  of 
God,  whose  inspired  testimony  declared  that  by  the 
doing  of  that  work  remission  of  sins  was  to  come 
to  the  obedient. 

Right  here  is  a  good  place  to  ask  and  answer  the 
question,  "What  was  the  work  John  was  sent  to 
perform  in  order  to  give  remission  of  sins?"  Let 
us  read  again: 

There  was  a  man  sent  from  God  whose  name  was  John. — 
John  1 :  6. 

He  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water. — John  1 :  33. 

I  baptize  with  water. — John  1 :  26. 

John  did  baptize  in  the  wilderness,  and  preach  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins. — Mark  1 :  4. 

This  proves,  first,  that  John's  baptism  was  a 
water  baptism;  second,  that  God  sent  him  to  per- 
form it;  and,  third,  that  it  was  the  work  by  which 
remission  of  sins  was  to  come  to  the  people. 

So  far,  then,  we  have  gained  two  strong,  unim- 
peachable witnesses;  one  inspired  of  God  to 
prophesy  that  John's  work  would  bring  remission  of 
sins,  and  the  other  sent  of  God  and  filled  with  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  77 

Holy  Ghost  from  his  mother's  womb  to  qualify  him 
tor  the  work  referred  to,  namely,  "baptizing  in 
water  for  the  remission  of  sins."  Please  write  down 
the  names  of  these  two  God-chosen  witnesses, 
Zacharias,  the  priest  and  prophet,  and  John  the 
Baptist.  Surely  no  sane  man  will  dispute  that  they 
testified  that  water  baptism  is  for  the  remission  of 
sins. 

Next  we  introduce  Luke,  the  historian.  Is  he  a 
competent  witness?  Let  us  see: 

Forasmuch  as  many  have  taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in 
order  a  declaration  of  those  things  which  are  most  surely 
believed  among  us,  even  as  they  delivered  them  unto  us, 
which  from  the  beginning  were  eye-witnesses,  and  ministers 
of  the  word;  it  seemed  good  to  me  also,  having  had  perfect 
understanding  of  all  things  from  the  very  first,  to  write 
unto  thee  in  order,  most  excellent  Theophilus,  that  thou 
mightest  know  the  certainty  of  those  things,  wherein  thou 
hast  been  instructed. — Luke  1 :  1-4. 

Eye-witnesses  and  men  having  perfect  under- 
standing of  all  things  connected  with  the  case  from 
the  very  first  are  generally  accounted  first-class 
witnesses.  Such  was  Luke,  according  to  the  above. 
Therefore,  being  duly  qualified,  we  ask  for  his  testi- 
mony upon  the  matter  before  us.  Here  it  is: 

The  word  of  God  came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  in 
the  wilderness.  And  he  came  into  all  the  country  about 
Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins. — Luke  3 :  2,  3. 

We  shall  take  the  liberty  of  entering  the  name  of 
Luke  on  the  roll  of  witnesses  who  testified  that  by 
the  command  of  God  baptism  was  observed  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  This  makes  three  reliable  wit- 
nesses. 


78  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

We  now  turn  to  those  twelve  men  who  had  been 
chosen  as  apostles  to  represent  God's  government, 
and  ask  as  to  their  competency  to  testify.  The  fact 
that  Christ  selected  them  should  be  sufficient  on 
this :  but  we  want  to  make  the  case  clear,  hence  we 
introduce  the  Master's  charge  and  promise  to  them. 
Listen  to  it: 

[Jesus]  commanded  them  that  they  should  not  depart  from 
Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  which, 
saith  he,  ye  have  heard  of  me.  For  John  truly  baptized  with 
water,  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many 
days  hence.  ...  Ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses 
unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. — Acts  1:4,  5,  8. 

The  sense  of  this  is,  without  question,  that  these 
men  were  to  receive  power  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to 
become  witnesses  in  Christ's  stead,  not  only  in 
Jerusalem  and  all  Judea,  but  their  testimony  was  to 
hold  good  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth.  Now, 
according  to  the  following  chapter,  these  men 
waited  in  Jerusalem  as  commanded,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  as  promised,  and  under  its  power  they 
testified.  What  was  their  testimony  on  the  point 
under  consideration?  "Peter,  standing  up  with  the 
eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice."  Here  follows  his 
memorable  appeal  and  argument,  which  caused  the 
people  to  be  "pricked  in  their  heart"  and  ask, 
"What  shall  we  do?"  to  which  the  spokesman,  Peter, 
replied  for  himself  and  the  eleven  who  were  stand- 
ing up  with  him  and  were  appealed  to:  "Repent, 
and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  79 

Jesus  Christ    for  the    remission  of    sins."      (Acts 
2:  14,  38.) 

Evidently  the  s?me  Spirit  that  was  with  John  the 
Baptist  from  his  birth  and  with  Zacharias  and  Luke, 
was  the  "power"  of  Pentecost  that  moved  these 
apostles  to  thus  speak,  for  their  testimonies  are 
alike.  Thus  we  have  secured  fifteen  witnesses,  all 
of  whom  were  amply  qualified  and  authorized  to 
speak  for  Christ — not  a  dissenting  voice  among 
them. 

Next  we  place  on  the  stand  a  special  witness, 
named  Ananias,  and  as  we  proceed  we  will  asso- 
ciate another  with  him.  We  find  word  concerning 
him  in  the  ninth  and  twenty-second  chapters  of 
Acts.  Saul  and  Tarsus,  the  church  persecutor,  was 
met  on  the  way  to  Damascus  by  the  Lord,  who  told 
him  in  answer  to  his  question,  "What  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do,  Lord?"  "Arise,  and  go  into  the  city,  and 
it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." — Acts  9 :  6. 

Obedient  to  this  command,  Saul  went,  or  was  led, 
to  Damascus,  and  in  due  time  was  visited  by  the 
servant  of  Christ,  Ananias,  who  uttered  these 
words:  "And  now  why  tarriest  thou?  arise,  and 
be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord."— Acts  22 :  16.  There  was 
nothing  ambiguous  about  that  command,  and  Saul 
"arose  and  was  baptized."  (Acts  9 :  18.) 

We  note,  further,  that  Ananias,  in  delivering  his 
message  to  Saul,  said: 

The  God  of  our  fathers  hath  chosen  thee,  that  thou  should- 
est  know  his  will,  and  see  that  Just  One,  and  shouldest  hear 
the  voice  of  his  mouth.  For  thou  shalt  be  his  witness  unto 
all  men  of  what  thou  hast  seen  and  heard. — Acts  22 :  14.  15. 


80  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

This  leads  us  to  conclude,  as  is  stated,  that  Saul 
was  to  be  a  witness  of  what  he  heard  from  the 
mouth  of  Christ  and  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard 
from  Ananias. 

What  had  he  heard  from  the  mouth  of  Christ? 
We  have  already  shown  the  command  to  go  to 
jJamascus,  and  the  promise  that  he  would  be  there 
told  what  he  must  do.  What  was  he  told  to  do  when 
Ananias  came?  Be  baptized  to  wash  away  his  sins. 
This,  then,  is  the  testimony  of  Ananias,  the  special 
messenger,  and  Paul,  the  chosen  witness.  Will  the 
reader  please  add  the  names  of  Ananias  and  Saul 
to  the  former  fifteen  witnesses  who  clearly  testify 
that  baptism  is  for  the  "washing  away"  or  "remis- 
sion" of  sins?  Surely  these  are  sufficient;  but,  at 
the  risk  of  surfeiting  the  inquirer,  we  place  others 
on  the  stand. 

We  have  already  shown  clearly  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  led  Zacharias  to  testify  as  he  did  in  this 
case,  and  that  John  the  Baptist  was  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  from  his  birth.  We  have  also  shown 
that  it  was  the  Holy  Ghost  or  the  "power"  promised 
the  apostles  that  made  them  witnesses  for  Christ. 
The  Good  Book  says  also  that  when  that  promise 
was  fulfilled,  "They  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  in  other  tongues,  as  the 
Spirit  gave  them  utterance." — Acts  2 :  4. 

And  with  this  incontrovertible  evidence  before 
us,  we  fear  nobody's  objection  as  we  write  down  the 
name  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  witness  in  favor  of 
baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins. 

With  feelings  of  strong  confidence,  we  now  intro- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  81 

duce  Jesus  Christ  to  the  reader  as  a  witness  in  the 
case.  Here  he  says:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
— John  3 :  5.  If,  as  is  everywhere  admitted,  this 
birth  of  the  Spirit  means  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  the 
same  must  be  said  of  birth  of  the  water.  Hear  him 
again:  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved." — Mark  16 :  16. 

Remember,  it  was  Jesus  who  sent  Ananias  to 
Saul  with  the  command  to  be  baptized  and  wash 
away  his  sins.  For  evidence  of  this,  read: 
"Brother  Saul,  the  Lord,  even  Jesus,  that  appeared 
unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  earnest,  hath  sent  me." 
—Acts  9 :  17. 

It  was  Jesus  who  promised,  and  afterwards  sent, 
the  Holy  Ghost  on  Pentecost  to  inspire  the  apostles 
to  testify  as  they  did. 

This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all  are  wit- 
nesses. Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted, 
and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear. 
—Acts  2 :  32,  33. 

Without  hesitation,  we  inscribe  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  having  testified,  and  having  authorized 
and  inspired  others  to  testify,  that  baptism  is  for 
the  remission  of  sins. 

Did  the  Father  authorize  or  sanction  the  doc- 
trine? Let  us  see:  The  Holy  Spirit  that  gave  the 
apostle  "utterance"  on  Pentecost  was  "the  prom- 
ise of  the  Father."  (Acts  1:4.)  John  the  Bap- 
tist was  sent  of  God  to  preach  and  baptize  with 
water.  (See  John  1:6-33.)  The  Pharisees  and 


82  THE    OLD.  JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

lawyers  rejected  the  "counsel  of  God"  by  refusing 
the  baptism  of  John.  (See  Luke  7:  29,  30.)  This 
could  not  be  possible  unless  God  had  counseled  them 
to  observe  it.  The  voice  of  the  Father  was  heard, 
as  Jesus  came  forth  from  the  water,  after  he  had 
received  baptism  at  the  hands  of  John:  "This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." — 
Matthew  3 :  17. 

Is  this  enough  evidence?  By  it  we  have  shown 
that  God  counseled  or  commanded  the  ordinance, 
sent  John  to  administer  it,  approved  openly  of  his 
Son's  submission  to  it,  and  furnished  the  "power" 
on  Pentecost  to  inspire  its  proclamation,  with  an 
extension  of  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  as 
many  as  should  obey  it.  What  would  be  convincing 
evidence  if  this  is  not?  If  anything  is  needed  to 
complete  the  matter,  it  surely  will  be  found  in  the 
declaration  of  Christ: 

I  have  not  spoken  of  myself;  but  the  Father  which  sent 
me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and 
what  I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is 
life  everlasting:  whatsoever  I  speak,  therefore,  even  as  the 
Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak. — John  12 :  49,  50. 

This  surely  settles  the  matter,  for  if  Jesus,  as 
already  shown,  both  taught  the  necessity  of  water 
baptism,  observed  it  himself,  and  sent  Ananias  and 
the  twelve  apostles  to  preach  it — all  by  the  com- 
mandment of  the  Father — we  have  the  undoubted 
right  to  place  the  name  of  God,  the  Eternal  Father, 
on  our  list  of  witnesses  who  testified  in  favor  of 
water  baptism  being  essential  to  salvation. 

Now,  let  us  thoughtfully  and  in  the  light  of  our 
eternal  hope  inspect  the  array  of  witnesses.  We 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  83 

place  them,  by  their  choice,  all  on  one  side  of  this 
great  and  important  question,  and  we  provide  a 
column  for  the  signatures  of  those  who  dare  to 
testify  against  or  contrary  to  them.  Look  at  this, 
kind  reader,  and  then  answer  the  questions  we  pro- 
pound : 

WATER    BAPTISM. 


FOR  THE  REMISSION  OF 

SINS. 


Witnesses : 
ZACHARIAS. 
JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 
LUKE. 
PETER  AND  THE  REST 

OF  THE  ELEVEN. 
ANANIAS. 
PAUL,  OR  SAUL. 
THE  HOLY  GHOST. 
JESUS  THE  CHRIST. 
GOD  THE  FATHER. 


NOT  NECESSARY  TO 
SALVATION. 


Witnesses : 


Is  there  any  witness  who  has  ever  testified,  or 
who  now  testifies,  on  the  subject,  whose  word  or 
judgment  you  would  sooner  trust  than  any  or  all  of 
these?  Has  any  man  lived,  or  does  he  now  live, 
who  holds  better  authority  to  speak  on  this  subject 
than  these?  Have  you  the  evidence  upon  which  to 
impeach  any  one  or  all  of  these  witnesses?  Does 
your  hope  of  life  depend  upon  your  agreement  or 
disagreement  with  the  testimony  of  these  witnesses  ? 


84   t  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Can  God,  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  testify  as 
above,  and  yet  approve  of  any  man's  testimony  or 
attitude  to  the  contrary?  Have  you  any  reason  for 
believing  that  God,  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  have 
changed  their  mind  on  this  subject?  Would  you  not 
feel  safer  and  happier  on  the  side  where  God,  Christ, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  stand?  These  questions  are 
asked  in  all  seriousness.  If  there  is  any  name  or 
list  of  names  upon  whose  testimony  you  would 
rather  take  your  chances  in  the  judgment,  write 
them  in  the  opposite  column  above;  add  to  them  all 
the  titles  that  theological  seminaries  can  confer; 
multiply  the  names  and  titles  till  you  have 
exhausted  your  sources  of  supply;  roll  up  the  scroll 
and  take  it  with  you  to  the  bar  where  men  are  to 
be  judged  by  the  words  that  Christ  has  spoken,  and 
there  make  it  the  certificate  of  your  right  to  eternal 
life.  Essay  the  task  of  proving  that  God,  Christ, 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  all  of  heaven's  appointees  of 
the  apostolic  age  were  mistaken  in  this  matter,  and, 
after  so  doing,  fall  back  upon  the  men  whose  word 
you  have  taken  in  preference  to  Christ's;  show  that 
all  these  refused  or  failed  to  believe  that  baptism 
was  essential,  and  then  await  the  result.  What  will 
it  be?  Angels  and  archangels  will  gather  around 
the  Author  of  eternal  truth,  and  raise  the  banner 
containing  Christ's  words:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." — 
John  3 :  5. 

That  divine  Spirit  which  moved  Paul  to  write  to 
the  Romans  will  inspire  this  company  first  to  point 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       85 

to  the  inscription  upon  the  banner  they  have  raised, 
and  then  to  exclaim: 

What  if  some  did  not  believe?  shall  their  unbelief  make 
the  faith  of  God  without  effect?  God  forbid:  yea,  let  God 
be  true,  but  every  man  a  liar. — Romans  3:3,  4. 

Reader,  we  believe  you  would  not  dare  to  enter 
a  name  on  the  blank  column  above,  and  declare  your 
acceptance  of  it  in  preference  to  those  we  have 
given.  Nay,  more,  we  believe  you  would  not  wish 
to  do  it.  You  want  these,  whose  names  are  given,  to 
be  your  friends  when  the  river  of  death  has  been 
crossed.  Hence  we  advise  you  to  move  unto  their 
side  of  every  question  now,  and  be  not  ashamed 
because  of  human  reviling  or  scorn,  for  Jesus  has 
said: 

Whosoever  therefore  shall  be  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my 
words  in  this  adulterous  and  sinful  generation;  of  him  also 
shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed,  when  he  cometh  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father  with  the  holy  angels. — Mark  8 :  38. 

We  have  answered  affirmatively  the  question  pro- 
pounded, and  have  put  forward  the  best  authority 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  as  witnesses.  Their  testi- 
mony we  leave  with  you. 


86  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEI 


The  Laying  on  of  Hands. 


God  came  from  Teman,  and  the  Holy  One  from  Mount 
Paran.  Selah.  His  glory  covered  the  heavens,  and  the 
earth  was  full  of  his  praise.  And  his  brightness  was  as  the 
light;  he  had  horns  coming  out  of  his  hand:  and  there  was 
the  hiding  of  his  power. — Habakkuk  3:3,  4. 

Is  there  divine  warrant  for  the  observance  of 
this  ordinance  in  the  church  now?  we  are  asked. 
To  this  we  reply  by  asking,  Is  there  warrant  for  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  now  ?  The  correct 
answer  to  one  of  these  questions  must  also  be  the 
proper  one  to  the  other.  A  whole  can  never  exist 
without  its  essential  parts.  If  the  ceremony  of  the 
laying  on  of  hands  was  ever  a  part  of  Christ's  gos- 
pel, it  must  always  be  a  part  of  it.  The  Bible  says 
of  God  that  he  is  unchangeable.  (See  Malachi  3:6; 
James  1 :  17.)  It  directly  declares  the  same  thing 
of  Christ.  (See  Hebrews  12:8;  1:12.)  In 
announcing  that  God,  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
are  one  (see  1  John  5 :  7),  it  indirectly  says  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  unchangeable.  In  1  Peter  1 :  25  we 
have  it  plainly  stated:  "The  word  of  the  Lord 
endureth  for  ever,  and  this  is  the  word,  which  by  the 
gospel  is  preached  unto  you." 

With  these  facts  before  us,  we  may  ask  consist- 
ently, Did  this  unchangeable  God  ever  make  the  lay- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  87 

ing  on  of  hands  a  part  of  his  gospel  theory  and 
practice?  Did  this  unchangeable  Christ  ever  put 
himself  on  record,  by  teaching  or  practice,  regard- 
ing this  ordinance?  Did  this  unchangeable  Holy 
Ghost  ever  attach  its  authoritative  sanction  or 
indorsement  to  the  ordinance?  Does  this  word  of 
the  Lord,  which  is  to  endure  for  ever,  and  which  is 
preached  in  the  gospel,  certify  to  the  laying  on  of 
hands  as  being  a  divinely  authorized  rite?  If  the 
answers  to  these  questions  be  in  the  affirmative 
(as  we  think  they  must  be  if  correct),  then  the 
matter  is  settled  without  further  discussion;  for 
with  the  thought  of  unchangeability  in  God,  Christ, 
and  the  Spirit,  and  of  the  perpetual  endurance  of 
the  Word,  we  are  pledged  to  the  conclusion  that 
what  once  expressed  their  mind,  or  contained  an 
expression  of  their  mind,  must  represent  them 
for  ever  on  the  subject  then  being  dealt  with. 

We  believe  that  neither  God,  Christ,  nor  the 
Spirit  is  wiser  to-day  than  when  they  devised  the 
gospel  plan,  and  that  if  there  was  divinity  in  the 
statement  that  the  gospel  was  once  perfect,  there 
can  be  no  divinity  in  a  statement  that  calls  a  theory 
or  practice  the  perfect  gospel  now,  if  it  does  not 
embody  in  it  all  that  was  in  it  then.  Perfection 
can  not  be  added  to  nor  subtracted  from  and  still  be 
left  perfect.  Infinite  wisdom  could  not  pronounce 
the  plan  perfect  with  the  laying  on  of  hands  in  it 
as  an  essential  part,  and  afterwards  approve  as 
perfect  a  system  from  which  that  ordinance  had 
been  eliminated,  either  entirely  or  partially.  Such 
an  action  would  be  a  reflection  on  the  name  and 


88  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

character  of  God,  and  would  justify  us  in  conclud- 
ing that  divinity  was  a  creature  of  education,  and 
was  developed  by  the  blundering  processes  common 
to  humanity.  Man  invents,  and  then  improves  his 
inventions  by  addition  or  subtraction  as  he  discovers 
his  work  to  be  defective  or  inadequate  to  the  service 
desired ;  but  who  will  dare  to  charge,  even  by  innu- 
endo, such  imbecility  to  God?  Who  can  take  up  the 
Bible  and  read  of  the  service  performed  by  the  lay- 
ing on  of  hands  as  an  ordinance,  and  then  conclude 
that  that  rite  failed  of  the  results  intended,  and 
therefore  this  discovery  led  our  heavenly  Father 
to  dispense  with  it  as  a  work  of  supererogation? 

What  has  its  abandonment  brought  to  the  church  ? 
Let  the  contrast  be  made  of  churches  to-day  with 
the  church  as  pictured  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  answer  will  be  suggested  at  once.  Where  that 
ordinance  was  legally  observed  by  authorized  min- 
isters, it  secured  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  church,  as 
witnessed  in  wisdom,  knowledge,  faith,  prophecy, 
tongues,  interpretation  of  tongues,  discernment  of 
spirits,  miracles,  healing,  love,  humility,  purity, 
virtue,  divine  life,  and  unity.  Its  abandonment  has 
resulted  in  folly,  and  uncertainty,  loss  of  com- 
munion with  heaven,  inability  to  discriminate 
between  the  subtle  forces  operating  on  earth,  for- 
feiture of  claim  on  God  for  healing  in  sickness  and 
deliverance  from  danger,  strife,  contention,  insta- 
bility, division,  and  spiritual  death. 

The  world  is  slow  to  recognize  the  truth  of  the 
wise  man's  words: 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  89 

I  know  that,  whatsoever  God  doeth,  it  shall  be  for  ever: 
nothing  can  be  put  to  it,  nor  anything  taken  from  it:  and 
God  doeth  it,  that  men  should  fear  before  him.  That  which 
hath  been  is  now;  and  that  which  is  to  be  hath  already 
been;  and  God  requireth  that  which  is  past. — Ecclesiastes 
3:  14,  15. 

Every  attempt  to  improve  upon  God's  plan  has 
widened  the  distance  between  man  and  heaven, 
and  it  is  time  that  people  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
God  was  not  experimenting  when  he  incorporated 
the  several  principles  mentioned  by  Paul  in 
Hebrews  6 :  1,  2  in  his  gospel  plan. 

If  the  above  statement  from  Ecclesiastes  be  true, 
then  it  is  evident  that  God,  in  his  work,  provides 
for  human  necessity,  regardless  of  the  time  when 
that  necessity  shall  be  revealed,  whether  it  hath 
been,  is  now,  or  is  to  be.  It  plainly  declares  that 
what  he  doeth  shall  stand  for  ever,  without  change, 
and  he  requireth  that  which  is  past  of  those  who 
shall  exist  to  the  latest  period.  If,  then,  the  gospel 
was  provided  to  supply  man's  need  of  a  means  of 
salvation,  and  that  need  still  exists,  it  is  evident 
that  only  the  gospel  as  originally  furnished  can  sup- 
ply it  now. 

Coming  back,  therefore,  to  the  main  point,  let  us 
see  whether  the  laying  on  of  hands  was  really  a 
part  of  the  gospel  originally,  and,  if  so,  what  was 
its  officework.  In  Hebrews  6:  1,  2  the  apostle  men- 
tions it  as  one  of  the  "principles  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ" ;  and  in  Galatians  1 :  11,  12  he  declares  that 
he  received  that  gospel  by  revelation  from  Jesus 
Christ.  This  settles  it  as  being  a  part  of  the  gospel. 

In  James  5 :  14,  15  the  sick  in  the  church  were 


90  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

commanded  to  send  for  the  elders  to  anoint  them 
with  oil  and  pray  for  their  recovery.  This  is 
accompanied  with  the  promise  that  the  prayer  of 
faith  shall  save  the  sick;  and  in  Mark  16:  17,  18 
we  have  the  promise  that  the  believers  should  lay 
hands  on  the  sick,  and  the  sick  should  recover. 
Associate  with  this  the  account  of  Christ's  own 
conduct,  as  recorded  in  Mark  6:5;  8 :  23-25 ;  Luke 
5:  12,  13;  4:  40;  13:  11-13;  also  the  conduct  of  his 
ministry,  as  evidenced  by  Acts  5 :  12 ;  14 :  3 ;  19 :  11 ; 
28 :  8.  These  prove  that  the  healing  of  the  sick  was 
one  of  the  services  it  performed  in  the  gospel  work. 

In  Matthew  19 :  3-15 ;  Mark  10 :  13-16,  as  well  as 
Genesis  48 :  8-19,  we  have  evidence  that  it  was 
observed  for  the  blessing  of  children,  and  in  the 
latter  instance  it  seems  that  it  was  a  matter  of 
importance  which  hand  was  placed  upon  either  of 
the  heads  of  the  children,  which  could  not  possibly 
be  the  case  if  the  ordinance  had  no  divine  virtue 
connected  with  it.  This  fixes  its  necessity  in  such 
service. 

In  Acts  8:14-19;  19:1-7;  1  Timothy  4:14;  2 
Timothy  1:6,  7,  as  well  as  Deuteronomy  34 :  9,  we 
have  an  assurance  that  it  was  observed  in  con- 
ferring the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  are  thus  convinced 
of  its  essentiality  if  we  would  possess  that  Spirit. 

In  Acts  6 :  5,  6  and  13 :  1-3,  as  well  as  Numbers 
8 :  10 ;  27 :  18-20,  we  find  it  in  practice  for  the  ordi- 
nation of  God's  ministry,  and  hence  its  virtue  is 
proclaimed  as  a  means  of  conveying  divine  author- 
ity and  power. 

If  these  scriptures  are  reliable,  the  case  is  made 


THE  OLD  JERUSALEM  GOSPEL       91 

out  and  proved  that  the  laying  on  of  hands  was  a 
part  of  the  gospel  teaching  and  practice,  as  well  as 
an  ordinance  of  God,  in  very  early  ages.  By  it  were 
conferred  upon  believers  the  greatest  benefits  to 
soul  and  body  that  history  makes  mention  of,  or 
human  hearts  can  desire.  It  therefore  remains  for 
unbelievers  to  prove  a  perfect  gospel  without  the 
ordinance,  and  an  unchangeable  God  under  its 
abandonment  by  divine  sanction. 

We  will  not  attempt  to  explain  why  so  simple, 
though  natural,  an  ordinance  should  have  so 
important  a  place  to  fill,  nor  will  we  try  to  show 
how  virtue  can  attach  to  the  imposition  of  human 
hands.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  Jesus,  by  his 
Father's  command,  ordained  it  a  place  in  the  gospel, 
and  authorized  men  to  preach  and  observe  all  things 
he  had  commanded.  Our  hope  of  salvation  is 
founded  on  our  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  "The  works 
that  I  do  shall"  ye  "do  also,"  said  he;  and,  "As  my 
Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you."  If,  there- 
fore, there  is  a  divinely  commissioned  ministry  on 
earth,  they  have  been  sent  as  was  Christ,  and  are 
to  do  the  works  that  he  did.  No  man  can  do  this 
and  discard  the  laying  on  of  hands  as  an  ordinance, 
neither  can  he  preach  the  gospel  and  omit  it.  If 
a  gospel  be  preached  which  does  not  include  this 
ordinance,  it  is  not  Christ's  gospel,  and  we  may 
quote  inspiration  here  by  the  way  of  warning : 

Though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any  other 
gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto  you, 
let  him  be  accursed. — Galatians  1 :  8. 

We  think  these  to  be  good  reasons  for  believing 


92  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

that  there  is  divine  warrant  for  the  observance  of 
the  laying  on  of  hands  as  a  sacred  and  essential 
ordinance  in  the  church  now,  and  why  such  an 
ordinance,  fraught  as  it  was  with  the  greatest  and 
grandest  blessings  both  to  soul  and  body,  should 
ever  have  been  excluded,  even  in  part,  from  reli- 
gious service,  is  a  mystery  too  deep  for  our  explana- 
tion. Equally  mysterious  is  it,  that  professing 
Christians  can  be  found  who  will  cry  out  against  its 
admission  to  their  faith  when  you  name  it  to  them. 
Surely  their  eyes  are  closed  to  things  divine.  The 
hiding  of  Christ's  power,  says  my  text,  was  in  the 
horns  that  came  out  of  his  hands,  and  his  gospel 
work  throughout  attested  it  well. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  93 


How?     And  Why? 
QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS. 


For  what  if  some  did  not  believe?  shall  their  unbelief 
make  the  faith  of  God  without  effect?  God  forbid:  yea,  let 
God  be  true,  but  every  man  a  liar. — Romans  3:3,  4. 

Because  we  believe,  teach,  and  contend  for  all  the 
details  of  the  old  Jerusalem  gospel,  we  are 
accounted,  ofttimes,  as  fanatical,  and  are  plied  with 
questions  which  might  all  be  disposed  of  with  a 
word,  viz:  The  Bible  teaches  it,  hence  we  believe 
it;  but  as  many  of  the  questioners  are  of  honest 
intent,  we  frequently  must  stop  and  reason. 

In  another  part  of  this  volume  will  be  found  a 
sermon  on  the  subject  of  "Water  baptism."  It  is 
so  simple  in  its  arrangement  and  presentation  that 
any  child  of  understanding  can  at  least  compre- 
hend it.  Every  word  of  its  real  matter  of  merit  is 
a  quotation  from  the  Bible;  and  yet  we  have  met 
with  antagonism  severe  over  it,  even  from  intelli- 
gent persons  who  admitted  the  clearness  of  the  case 
made  therein,  but  who  would  not  accept  the  con- 
clusion because  they  could  not  see  how  God  could 
do  things  in  the  way  he  declared,  or  because  they 
could  not  see  the  value  or  utility  of  the  means  God 
had  said  were  necessary  and  effective.  We  are  not 


94  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

apologists  for  God;  we  are  simply  preachers  of  his 
word,  believing  that  there  are  no  mistakes  in 
Christ's  utterances  or  work;  and  believing  further, 
with  Paul,  that  the  "foolishness  of  God  is  wiser 
than  men."  (1  Corinthians  1 :  25.)  It  may  be  true, 
as  some  of  our  critics  have  charged,  that  to  preach 
baptism  in  water  as  a  means  unto  salvation,  is  a  mis- 
take; but,  even  so,  the  mistake  is  not  ours;  God 
made  it,  and  sent  Jesus,  and  Jesus  sent  his  apostles 
to  publish  it  and  to  perpetuate  it.  We  feel  safer 
in  banking  on  what  may  be  accounted  God's  mis- 
take than  on  the  philosophy  of  the  wisest  of  men 
which  antagonizes  it.  We  never  expect  to  go  to 
these  creed-makers  or  philosophers  hereafter  to  ask 
salvation  or  judgment  at  their  hands;  hence,  it 
matters  little  whether  we  please  them  or  not.  We 
do  expect  that  the  words  spoken  by  Jesus  will  judge 
us  at  the  last  day  (see  John  12:  48),  and  that  the 
power  to  save  or  condemn  rests  in  his  hands ;  hence 
we  are  more  anxious  to  be  at  an  agreement  with  him, 
whether  he  was  mistaken  or  not. 

After  admitting  our  position  on  the  water  bap- 
tism subject  to  be  unanswerable  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, one  party  informed  us  that  though  Jesus  and 
the  apostles  taught  it  so,  he  could  not  teach  it  so, 
for  the  reason  that  he  could  not  see  how  water  could 
in  any  way  figure  in  saving  the  soul — how  it  could 
wash  away  sin.  We  answered  that  we  could  not 
give  the  details  of  the  process  that  lay  hidden 
under  the  command  and  between  our  going  down 
into  the  water  and  the  sin  being  taken  away.  How 
God  connected  the  two  we  did  not  know,  except  that 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  95 

obedience  gave  us  claim  on  his  promise.  To  this 
he  made  answer  that  that  was  the  reason  he  did  not 
believe  and  preach  it,  though  it  was  clearly  taught. 
He  claimed  to  teach  salvation  by  faith.  "Faith  in 
whom?"  we  asked.  "Faith  in  Jesus  Christ,"  he 
replied.  We  asked  to  be  excused  for  disbelieving 
him,  but  his  own  words  compelled  us  to,  for  any 
man  who  admitted  that  Jesus  taught  a  certain  thing 
as  necessary,  yet  rejected  it  on  the  grounds  stated, 
had  very  little  faith  in  Christ,  but  unlimited  con- 
ceit in  himself.  We  are  convinced  that  Jesus  taught 
it;  hence  we  believe  it  and  teach  it,  whether  we  can 
fully  discern  the  details  of  the  modus  operandi  or 
not;  because  we  have  more  faith  in  Jesus  than  in 
ourselves.  That  is  our  idea  of  salvation  by 
faith.  But  to  a  few  of  the  questions  that  have  been 
asked : 

1.  How  can  water  wash  away  sin? 

Honestly  speaking,  I  do  not  know  just  how  God 
manipulates  the  plan  so  as  to  connect  my  immer- 
sion with  the  salvation  of  my  soul,  except  that  he 
fulfills  his  promise  when  we  obey  his  commands. 
There  is  a  story  in  Joshua  6:  1-20  to  the  effect  that 
at  the  command  of  God  the  childre  of  Israel,  led 
by  their  priests,  who  carried  the  ark  of  God  and 
each  a  ram's  horn,  marched  around  the  greavt  city 
of  Jericho  once  a  day  for  six  days  and  seven  times 
on  the  seventh  day;  then,  after  a  blast  from  the 
horns,  set  up  a  shout,  and  the  walls  of  the  city, 
thick  enough  to  build  houses  upon,  fell  down  flat, 
and  left  the  people  of  Jericho  at  the  mercy  of  the 
invaders. 


96  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Question:  Was  it  the  noise  of  the  horns,  or  of 
the  shout,  or  the  rocking  of  the  earth  caused  by  the 
tramp  of  Israel's  feet,  that  made  those  walls  fall 
exactly  after  the  seventh  round  on  the  seventh  day, 
etc.,  had  been  completed?  Of  course,  you  will  say, 
"No!"  Well,  would  those  walls  have  fallen  if  they 
had  not  taken  that  walk  and  done  that  shouting? 
You,  as  a  Bible  believer,  say,  "No!"  If,  then,  the 
combination  of  sound  and  foot  motion  did  not  cause 
the  fall,  and  it  would  not  have  occurred  without 
them,  what  caused  it?  Write  your  intelligent 
answer  upon  a  piece  of  paper  and  I  will  paste  it 
under  your  question,  "How  can  water  wash  away 
sin?"  and  will  be  content  to  let  it  go  at  that. 

In  2  Kings  5:  1-14  a  story  is  related  about 
Naaman  being  commanded,  after  going  a  long 
journey  to  see  the  prophet  of  God,  to  go  and  dip 
seven  times  in  Jordan  to  be  cured  of  his  leprosy. 
He  did  as  he  was  told,  after  some  hesitation,  and 
the  flesh  of  his  whole  body  became  pure  as  that  of 
a  little  child.  Did  the  water  of  that  river  possess 
virtue  to  cure  leprosy?  You  answer,  "No!"  else 
there  would  be  no  lepers,  for  all  would  dip  and  be 
healed.  Then  would  Naaman  have  been  healed 
without  dipping,  after  hearing  the  command  to  go 
and  dip?  Again  you  answer,  "No!"  Would  four 
or  five  dips  have  answered,  after  seven  were 
ordered  ?  You  answer  as  before.  Then,  if  the  water 
had  no  virtue  to  heal,  and  the  healing  depended  upon 
his  dipping  in  it  exactly  the  number  of  times  com- 
manded, what  did  the  healing?  or  how  was  it  done? 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  97 

Your  answer  will  do  also  to  the  question  you  asked, 
"How  can  water  wash  away  sin?" 

In  fine,  God  is  the  benefactor.  We  are  depend- 
ent. He  has  the  right  to  state  the  terms  on  which  he 
will  bless.  It  is  for  us  to  accept,  without  question, 
or  do  without  the  promised  good. 

2.  Can  I  not  be  converted  without  baptism? 

Yes ;  but  conversion  does  not  entitle  you  to  admis- 
sion into  the  kingdom.  There  are  thousands  of 
converted  people  outside  of  it.  Jesus  said  (see  John 
3:  25)  that  no  man  could  enter  except  he  was  born 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit. 

To  illustrate:  I  came  to  America  from  the 
British  dominions.  After  coming,  my  feelings  under- 
went a  great  change.  My  prejudices  as  a  Canadian 
against  the  Yankees  melted  away,  and  I  became 
pleased  with  American  laws,  institutions,  and 
privileges.  What  I  once  hated  I  now  loved,  my  heart 
was  changed,  I  was  soundly  converted,  and  often 
joined  in  singing  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee,"  etc.  I 
determined  to  have  place  with  this  people.  I  liked 
their  ways  and  the  surroundings  much.  I  wanted 
to  help  uphold  the  laws  and  support  the  govern- 
ment, and  send  men  to  legislature,  and  to  be  eligible 
to  American  offices,  and  the  like.  I  was  an  Ameri- 
can at  heart;  but  I  was  not  an  American  in  fact. 
This  nation,  like  all  others,  reserves  the  right  to 
say  how  aliens  shall  become  citizens.  It  had  a  door 
and  doorkeepers,  and  through  the  one  by  the  aid  of 
the  other  I  must  enter,  or  for  ever  stay  on  the  out- 
side of  the  rights  of  citizenship.  So  with 
' 'strangers  and  foreigners"  to  the  commonwealth  of 


98  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Israel.  Your  heart  may  be  changed;  you  may  be 
soundly  converted  to  that  degree,  but  conversion  to 
God  and  love  for  Jesus  must  be  shown,  not  only  by 
saying,  "Lord,  Lord,"  but  by  doing  the  things  com- 
manded, if  we  would  have  our  estate  changed  from 
that  of  aliens  to  citizens.  We  must  be  translated 
out  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son.  This  can  not  be  accomplished 
except  as  Jesus  has  said,  though  we  may  sing  hymns 
to  his  praise  and  pray  and  give  alms  as  devoutly  as 
did  Cornelius  (see  Acts  10), who  was  "a  devout  man, 
and  one  that  feared  God  with  all  his  house,  which 
gave  much  alms  to  the  people,  and  prayed  to  God 
alway."  God  sent  an  angel  to  this  good  man  to 
instruct  him,  and  he  was  finally  commanded  to  be 
baptized — to  enter  the  kingdom  as  Jesus  had  com- 
manded. 

3.  Will  not  my  former  baptism  do? 

This  question  is  often  asked  by  those  who  have 
been  immersed  in  water,  under  the  impression  that 
immersion  of  itself  is  baptism,  which  is  not  the  case, 
else  any  accidental  plunging  or  ordinary  dipping 
would  fill  the  requirement;  but  I  am  told  by  them 
it  was  performed  by  a  clergyman.  What  does  that 
fact  add  to  its  virtue  as  a  baptism?  .What  more 
benefit  from  a  clergyman's  hands  than  from  the 
hands  of  any  one  else?  Who  will  answer  this? 
Everybody  puts  up  a  hand,  and  replies  that  the 
clergyman  has  a  right  that  others  do  not  have. 
Where  did  he  get  it?  Has  he  heard  from  God,  and 
received  a  commission  to  act?  "No,"  I  am  told; 
"nobody  hears  from  God  in  this  age."  If  that  be 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  99 

true,  the  minister  appoints  himself,  or  some  person 
with  no  more  authority  than  he  has  appoints  him. 
If  God  has  not  been  heard  from  in  his  case,  he  has 
no  more  right  to  act  as  God's  agent  than  you  have, 
and  his  work  in  baptizing  you  will  not  secure  the 
enrollment  of  your  name  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life. 

In  answering  the  question,  we  reply:  If  you 
have  been  legally  baptized  once,  that  baptism  will 
do.  But  remember,  it  takes  three  things  to  consti- 
tute a  legal  baptism:  (a)  A  proper  candidate — 
one  who  is  a  believer,  and  has  truly  repented  of  sin 
and  renounced  evil,  (b)  A  proper  mode — immer- 
sion, (c)  An  authorized  administrator — one  who 
has  been  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.  (See 
Hebrews  5:4.)  Any  one  of  these  three  elements 
failing  to  enter  into  the  performance,  it  does  not 
"bind  in  heaven" ;  hence  is  useless  as  a  process  unto 
salvation. 

When,  after  my  conversion  to  Americanism,  I 
desired  to  become  a  citizen,  it  was  necessary  that  I 
secure  the  services  of  a  judge  or  magistrate  who 
held  governmental  authority  to  induct  me  into  the 
estate  of  a  citizen.  The  mere  possession  of  a 
statute-book  containing  the  formula  and  the  recital 
of  that  formula  to  me,  securing  my  indorsement  and 
oath,  and  the  issuance  of  a  certificate  to  me,  was  not 
enough.  They  were  requisite,  but,  though  they  all 
figured  in  the  ceremony,  and  I  was  as  sincere  as 
human  heart  could  be,  it  would  all  have  been  waste 
work  had  the  man  administering  that  oath  and 
issuing  that  certificate  been  without  a  commission 


100  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

from  the  Government.  All  will  admit  the  correct- 
ness of  this ;  but  many  who  do  will  turn  around  and 
ask  me  why  their  former  baptism  will  not  do,  when 
they  know  that  even  though  the  mode  was  correct 
and  their  hearts  were  sincere,  yet  the  administrator 
had  not  received  and  did  not  believe  in  the  need  of 
a  special  call  from  God,  or  an  appointment  to  act 
for  him.  They  know  that  the  signing  of  the  name 
of  a  firm  to  a  contract  by  one  who  was  never 
appointed  as  agent  by  that  firm  does  not  bind  the 
firm  for  anything,  while  that  act  by  an  authorized 
agent  does  bind  for  all  it  specifies ;  yet  they  seem  to 
think  that  a  baptism  to  which  the  name  of  God 
and  Christ  is  attached  by  the  administrator  in  the 
performance  will  "bind  in  heaven,"  whether  God 
appointed  the  man  his  agent  or  not.  Let  them 
remember  that  many  are  to  come  in  the  last  day 
and  tell  of  the  many  works  they  have  done  in 
Christ's  name  who  will  be  told  to  depart,  for  they 
had  never  known  God — had  never  received  any 
commission  from  him.  (See  Matthew  7:22,  23.) 

4.  Why  will  not  sprinkling  do? 

We  answer  this  curtly  and  briefly:  Simply 
because  there  is  no  authority  in  the  Scriptures  for 
it.  It  would  be  as  sensible  to  ask,  "Why  will  not 
turning  a  somersault  do?" 

5.  Were  not  the  spiritual  gifts  to  cease? 

This  question  is  generally  associated  with  a  refer- 
ence to  1  Corinthians  13 :  8,  where  it  is  said  that 
prophecies  shall  fail  and  tongues  shall  cease;  also 
to  2  Timothy  3 :  15,  wherein  Timothy  is  said  to  have 
known  from  his  childhood  the  Scriptures,  which 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  101 

were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation,  and 
similar  passages.  This  latter  text  is  used  to  prove 
that  inasmuch  as  Timothy  had  enough  Scriptures 
to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation  in  his  childhood, 
therefore  no  more  revelation  from  God  in  the  spir- 
itual gifts  was  necessary. 

We  answer  the  main  question  by  saying,  Yes! 
The  first  text  referred  to  says  so  plainly ;  but  in  the 
same  and  following  verses  proceeds  to  tell  that  that 
would  not  take  place  till  "that  which  is  perfect  is 
come,"  and  we  see  God  "face  to  face,"  and  "know 
as  we  are  known."  Hence  we  hold  them,  as  else- 
where shown  in  this  volume,  to  be  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  "perfecting  of  the  saints"  until  that 
day  shall  have  come. 

The  second  text  proves  too  much,  if  it  proves 
anything  against  the  doctrine  of  continued  reve- 
lation; for  Timothy  had  no  Scriptures  in  his  child- 
hood except  the  Old  Testament.  Hence,  by  the 
objector's  argument,  it  follows  that  if,  because  he 
had  enough  in  them  to  make  him  "wise  unto  sal- 
vation," no  further  revelation  should  be  accepted, 
the  New  Testament  is  excluded,  and  the  text  itself, 
which  is  part  of  the  New  Testament,  would  be 
ruled  out.  People,  when  they  attempt  to  saw  off 
revelation  from  the  gospel  tree  trunk,  had  better 
first  look  to  see  whether  or  not  they  are  them- 
selves seated  on  the  limb  that  is  to  fall  as  a  result  of 
their  work. 

6.  Why  do  you  not  show  us  a  sign  or  work  a  miracle? 
This  question  comes  often,  and  from  those  who 
ought  to  know  better  than  ask  it. 


102  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

To  be  clear,  I  answer:  "Because  I  can  not." 
Those  who  demand  a  miracle  or  sign  to  prove  our 
work  true  put  themselves  in  an  unenviable  light. 
They  have  a  conspicuous  leader  in  that  work.  (See 
Matthew  4:  1-11.)  Satan  demanded  that  Jesus 
prove  the  Father's  promise  of  angel  protection  true 
by  throwing  himself  from  the  pinnacle  of  the 
temple.  "It  is  written,"  said  he;  now  prove  it  to 
me.  But  Jesus  refused  to  tempt  God,  and  simply 
quoted  more  scripture  in  justification.  The  Phari- 
sees (see  Matthew  12:38-40)  asked  a  sign,  and 
were  reproved  by  the  Master.  Signs  are  to  follow 
the  believer,  Jesus  promised.  These  were  not 
believers.  Jesus  was  bantered  by  the  mob  that 
applauded  his  crucifixion,  for  a  sign,  but  he  did  not 
grant  it.  (See  Mark  15:  29-32.)  He  could  not  do 
any  mighty  works  where  the  people  did  not 
believe.  (See  Mark  6:5,  6.)  We  have  not  power 
to  work  miracles.  That  belongs  to  God.  If  our 
laith  is  sufficient  to  secure  the  operation  of  that 
power  for  our  benefit,  the  signs  and  miracles 
appear.  Nothing  beyond  that  is  claimed. 

In  John  17 :  14-21  we  have  evidence  that  even  the 
disciples  of  that  day  failed  in  an  attempt  to  heal, 
and  Jesus  was  appealed  to  and  he  succeeded,  and 
afterward  told  the  disciples  that  their  lack  of  faith 
was  what  caused  the  failure;  but  also  that  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  devils  did  not  go  out  except  by  prayer 
and  fasting. 

It  seems  that  neither  Paul  nor  Timothy  nor  the 
saints  about  them  had  faith  enough  to  heal  Timothy 
of  his  "often  infirmities"  and  his  stomach  ailment; 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  103 

hence  Paul  advised. him  to  take  a  little  wine  for  the 
trouble,  and  cease  drinking  water.  (See  1  Timothy 
5:23.)  Paul  was  compelled  to  leave  his  fellow 
traveler,  Trophimus,  behind  him  at  Miletum,  sick. 
(See  2  Timothy  4:20.)  I  presume  he  would  not 
have  done  this  if  he  or  both  of  them  or  the  saints 
there  combined  had  had  faith  enough  to  heal  him. 
Poor  Paul  himself,  whose  visions  and  revelations 
were  so  numerous  that  there  was  danger  of  his 
becoming  "exalted  above  measure"  because  of  them, 
was  afflicted  with  what  he  called  "a  thorn  in  the 
flesh,"  for  the  removal  of  which  he  earnestly  prayed 
to  God  thrice;  but  it  remained.  (2  Corinthians 
12:  1-10.) 

Like  ourselves,  these  servants  of  Christ  were 
without  the  power  of  faith  sufficient  to  secure  some 
things  they  asked  for ;  but  yet  the  gifts  and  miracles 
abounded  in  their  lives  and  time,  as  is  abundantly 
witnessed.  Like  us,  they  were  confronted  with 
demands  for  signs,  which  they  did  not  furnish,  and 
even  the  Good  Master  himself  was  without  power 
to  do  great  things  where  unbelief  prevailed;  and, 
like  us,  he  was  subjected  to  the  impious  banter  of 
those  who  knew  not  what  they  were  doing. 

But,  as  we  have  already  shown,  signs  were  to 
follow  believers,  not  to  gratify  unbelievers,  and 
they  do  not  make  true  converts  of  all  who  witness 
them.  He  is  a  poor  convert  who  believes  a  mes- 
sage to  be  unworthy  his  respect  or  acceptance,  yet 
who  will  embrace  it  because  a  miracle  has  been 
wrought  by  its  promulgators.  Faith  comes  by 
hearing  the  word  of  God,  preached  by  those  sent  of 


104  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

God.  (See  Romans  10 :  14-17.)  Those  who  will  not 
believe  in  this  way  will  not  believe  because  of 
miracles — even  though  one  rise  from  the  dead. 
(See  Luke  16:  31.)  With  this  we  will  close,  though 
many  other  questions  of  similar  import  come  to  us. 
But  space  crowds  us.  These  answers  may  not  be 
fully  satisfactory  to  all;  but  deeper  study  and 
earnest  seeking  will  bring  to  the  honest  ones  the 
satisfying  evidence  of  the  truth  of  our  message. 
Those  who  seek  shall  .find.  Those  who  do  shall 
know.  So  Jesus  said,  and  that  is  authority  enough. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  105 


The  Office-Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 


After  that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  that  Holy 
Spirit  of  promise. — Ephesians  1 :  13. 

The  importance  of  an  understanding  of  this  sub- 
ject can  hardly  be  overestimated;  nor  is  it  in  our 
power  to  convey  more  than  a  very  limited  con- 
ception of  it.  Most  people  are  agreed  that  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  should  furnish  a  great 
part  of  our  experience  as  followers  of  Christ,  but 
in  what  way  to  look  for  it  or  discern  its  presence 
and  work,  and  what  are  the  direct  results  of  its 
motions  within  us,  are  questions  that  have  given 
rise  to  a  great  deal  of  controversy.  Why  this  should 
be  so  we  may  not  tell.  Perhaps,  and  most  probably, 
it  is  because  people  do  not  take  the  pains  to  read 
the  Bible  for  themselves,  and  even  what  reading 
they  do  takes  on  the  coloring  of  the  traditions  under 
which  they  have  been  trained. 

Some  very  intelligent  people  hold  that  all  of  the 
Spirit's  presence  and  power  we  are  entitled  to  in 
this  age  is  that  which  is  resident  in  the  written  word, 
and  applies  itself  to  our  lives  as  that  word  is 
believed,  but  gives  no  tangible  evidence  of  its  pres- 
ence. Others  claim  that  it  is  to  be  enjoyed  as  a 
joy-giving  agent,  making  buoyant  the  spirit,  and 
filling  the  life  with  peace,  and,  in  some  unseen  and 


106  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

perhaps  mysterious  way  operating  to  make  our 
prayers  effective,  and  to  preserve  our  feet  in  ways 
of  goodness. 

To  us  it  is  all  this  and  more.  It  is  the  third 
agency  in  the  Godhead — the  power  by  which  all  the 
divine  behests  are  executed  in,  above,  and  beneath 
our  sphere;  by  which  prophets  wrote,  seers  saw, 
miracles  were  wrought,  devils  were  cast  out,  sick 
were  healed,  and  life  was  given  to  and  preserved 
within  the  body  of  Christ.  Like  God  and  Christ, 
what  it  was  it  is,  an  unchangeable,  impartial,  and 
eternal  existence.  The  Bible  account  given  of  it 
and  its  work  is  not  only  of  historic  value,  but  is 
intended  as  a  guide  to  our  thought  and  hope,  that 
it  may  lead  us  to  where  it  has  been,  and  may  be 
found  and  load  us  with  the  treasures  within  its 
gift;  that  the  experience  of  our  gospel  life  may  be 
identical  in  character  and  degree  with  that  of  those 
who  thus  lived  before  us.  In  fact,  it  is  to  put  us  in 
communion  with  God,  and  give  us  access  to  all 
spiritual  good.  All  that  it  ever  did  it  can  and  will 
now  do,  as  occasion  shall  call  for  it,  or  necessity  be 
revealed.  Hence,  to  know  what  it  may  be  expected 
to  do,  we  have  but  to  read  the  Bible,  and  learn  what 
it  did  do.  It  will  never  cease  to  be,  nor  will  it  ever 
change  its  office-work. 

But  let  us  gather  a  few  evidences  from  the  book 
as  to  its  work : 

1.  (For  the  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by 
the  will  of  man :  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."— 2  Peter  1 :  21. 

2.  It  descended  in  the  form  of  a  dove  to  bear  wit- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  107 

ness   of  Jesus    as  the    Lamb  of    God.     (See    John 
1:33.) 

3.  It  is  the  power    that  quickens  or    gives  life. 
(See  John  1:  63;  2  Corinthians  3:  6.) 

4.  It  gave  utterance  to  the  disciples  on  Pente- 
cost.    (See  Acts  2:4.) 

5.  It  talked  with  Philip  and  others,  and  directed 
their  course.    (See  Acts  8 :  29 ;  10 :  19.) 

6.  It  restrained    men  from  pursuing    a  course 
intended.     (See  Acts  16:  7,  8.) 

7.  It  bore  witness  with  human  spirits  to  their 
discipleship.     (See  Romans  8:  16.) 

8.  It  helps  human  infirmities  and  makes  inter- 
cession for  us.     (See  Romans  8:  26.) 

9.  It  reveals  the  things  prepared  of  God  for  those 
that  love  him  and  the  deep  things  of  God.     (See  1 
Corinthians  2:9,  10;  Ephesians  3:  3-5.) 

10.  It  baptizes  the  obedient  into  one  body.     (See 
1  Corinthians  12:  13.) 

11.  It  is  the  only  power  by  which  we  can  truth- 
fully testify  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord.     (See  1  Corin- 
thians 12:3.) 

12.  It  gives  a  diversity  of  gifts — namely:    wis- 
dom, faith,  knowledge,  healing,  miracles,  prophecy, 
discerning  of  spirits,  divers  kinds  of  tongues,  the 
interpretation    of    tongues.      (See    1    Corinthians 
12:4-11.) 

13.  It  gives  liberty.     (See  2  Corinthians  3:  17.) 

14.  It  quickened  Jesus  after  his  death  to  go  and 
preach  to  spirits  in  prison.     (See  1  Peter  3:  18.) 

15.  It  bears  witness  with  God  and  the  Word  in 


108  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

heaven  and  with  the  water  .and  blood  in  earth.  (See 
1  John  5:6-8.) 

16.  It  addressed  messages  to  the  churches.     (See 
Revelation  2:  7,  11,  17,  29;  3:  6,  13,  22.) 

17.  It  moved    upon   the  face  of   the  waters  and 
caused    light    at    God's    command.      (See    Genesis 
1:2,  3.) 

18.  It  dwells  in  the  saints.     (See  1  Corinthians 
3:16.) 

19.  It  washes,  sanctifies,  and  justifies.      (See  1 
Corinthians  6:  11.) 

20.  It  is  one  with  God.     (See  1  John  5:7.) 
That    this    wondrous    and    blessed    Spirit    was 

intended  to  be  permanently  with  the  church  is  evi- 
denced by  the  fact  that  the  church  was  created  for 
that  purpose — that  God  might  have  his  habitation 
there  by  or  through  the  Spirit.  (See  Ephesians 
2:22.) 

Its  mission  work,  while  thus  acting  as  God's 
representative  in  the  church,  was  and  is  as  set  forth 
in  the  following: 

But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the 
Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things, 
and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have 
said  unto  you. — John  14 :  26. 

It  is  thus  to  be  a  teacher,  and  to  influence  human 
memory  and  reproduce  therein  the  things  Jesus 
had  proclaimed.  Again: 

When  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto  you 
from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth 
from  the  Father,  he'  shall  testify  of  me :  and  ye  also  shall  bear 
witness,  because  ye  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning. 
—John  15 :  26,  27. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  109 

These  disciples  of  Jesus  were  chosen  to  be  wit- 
nesses, and  this  they  could  not  be  unless  the  Spirit, 
according  to  this  verse,  should  come  and  testify  of 
him  and  the  truth  of  his  mission  and  claim;  for, 
as  we  have  before  shown,  "no  man  can  say  that 
Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth:  It  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away:  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you. 
And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and 
of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment:  of  sin,  because  they 
believe  not  on  me;  of  righteousness,  because  I  go  to  my 
Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more;  of  judgment,  because 
the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged.  I  have  yet  many  things 
to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  can  not  bear  them  now.  Howbeit 
when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into 
all  truth:  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself;  but  whatso- 
ever ne  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak:  and  he  will  show 
you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me:  for  he  shall 
receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you.  All  things  that 
the  Father  hath  are  mine:  therefore  said  I,  that  he  shall 
take  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you. — John  16:  7-15. 

Here  its  promised  work  is  equally  clear  as  a 
reprover  of  the  world  of  sin,  judgment,  and 
righteousness.  In  the  church,  it  is  to  guide  into  all 
truth.  How  necessary  this  is  in  the  midst  of  reli- 
gious chaos,  such  as  reigns  to-day — a  bedlam  of 
jarring  creeds  and  inharmonious  theories,  all  claim- 
ing their  divine  origin,  and  asking  our  acceptance. 

It  is  to  open  up  the  future,  giving  prophetic  sight 
to  the  saints,  and  to  take  of  all  the  things  of  the 
Father  and  Son  and  reveal  them  to  the  church. 
These  words  are  too  plain  to  admit  of  misunder- 
standing or  misapplication.  It  is  to  remain  with  the 
church  for  ever,  for  we  read : 


110  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever;  even  the 
Spirit  of  truth;  whom  the  world  can  not  receive,  because  it 
seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him:  but  ye  know  him;  for 
he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you. — John  14:  16,  17. 

Of  course  the  abiding  of  the  Spirit  is  made 
dependent  upon  the  faithful  observance  of  all  things 
commanded  of  Christ,  as  shown  in  Matthew  28 :  20. 

The  long  desolation  period  of  Palestine  because 
of  Christ's  rejection  was  to  continue  until  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  should  be  poured  out  from  on  high,  and 
then  the  change  upon  the  face  of  all  the  land  and 
people  and  all  creation  was  to  be  marvelous  and 
glorious,  as  shown  in  Isaiah  32 :  13-18. 

This  thought  is  more  clearly  emphasized  in  the 
prophecy  of  Joel,  as  we  shall  see.  In  the  second 
chapter  a  prophetic  story  of  desolation  is  told,  fol- 
lowed by  a  promise  of  restoration  of  prosperity  and 
honor  and  glory  to  Israel,  and  in  the  twenty-eighth 
to  thirty-first  verses  is  to  be  found  the  following : 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterward,  that  I  will  pour  out 
my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh;  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters 
shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your 
young  men  shall  see  visions:  and  also  upon  the  servants 
and  upon  the  handmaids  in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  my 
Spirit.  And  I  will  show  wonders  in  the  heavens  and  in  the 
earth,  blood,  and  fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke.  The  sun  shall 
be  turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  ihe 
great  and  the  terrible  day  of  the  Lord  come. 

This  remarkable  prophecy  has  not  yet  had  its 
complete  fulfillment,  as  the  careful  reader  may  note. 
It  is  true  that  in  Acts  2 :  16,  Peter,  in  referring  to 
the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  Pentecost,  used  the 
words,  "This  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  111 

prophet  Joel,"  etc.;  but  it  must  be  clear  to  all  who 
have  read  the  context  carefully  in  both  Joel  and  the 
Acts,  that  Peter  could  only  have  meant  that  the 
Spirit  of  which  Joel  wrote  was  the  same  as  did  the 
work  on  Pentecost — not  that  Joel's  prophecy  had  its 
fulfillment  then.  There  were  no  dreams,  nor  visions, 
nor  prophesyings  by  daughters  and  servants  and 
handmaidens,  nor  was  the  sun  darkened,  nor  the 
moon  turned  into  blood ;  nor  was  the  Spirit  of  God 
poured  out  then  upon  "all  flesh,"  as  there  were  only 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons  under  its 
remarkable  afflatus  at  that  time.  When  Joel's 
prophecy  has  its  fulfillment,  Palestine  will  be  in 
process  of  restoration  to  former  glory,  and,  accord- 
ing to  Isaiah  11,  the  cow,  and  bear,  and  asp,  and 
cockatrice,  and  lion,  and  lamb  shall  come  under  its 
potent  spell — the  vicious  nature  and  poison  of  the 
one  kind  will  be  subdued,  and  the  fear  of  the  other 
will  be  destroyed,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  the 
lion  and  lamb,  while  infants  shall  play  where  the 
reptiles  dwell.  There  will  be  nothing  to  hurt  or 
destroy  in  all  the  land  when  the  descent  of  that 
promised  Spirit  shall  occur  upon  all  flesh. 

The  bestowal  of  the  spiritual  gifts  referred  to  in 
Number  12  of  the  foregoing  enumeration  had  for  its 
object  the  organizing  of  the  church  and  the  confer- 
ring of  offices,  such  as  apostles,  prophets,  evan- 
gelists, pastors,  and  teachers.  Also  the  perfecting 
of  the  saints,  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  until  all  should  come 
in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  unto  perfection  and  the 
measure  of  the  Christ  stature,  and  shall  be  borne 


112  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

beyond  the  danger  of  being  deceived  by  false  doc- 
trine and  the  evil  machinations  of  men.  Read  care- 
fully Ephesians  4 :  8-16,  and  be  convinced  that  the 
office-work  of  the  Spirit  was  not  intended  to  cease 
till  the  dawn  of  the  day  of  the  church's  final  per- 
fection and  glorification. 

Against  this  claim  some  have  used  1  Corinthians 
13 :  8,  or  that  portion  of  it  which  declares  that 
prophecies  shall  fail  and  tongues  shall  cease;  but 
such  persons  have  always  failed  to  note  that  knowl- 
edge is  put  on  the  same  list  as  a  vanishing  gift, 
and  only  charity  is  never-failing,  according  to  that 
very  verse.  They  have  also  neglected  to  read  the 
following  verses  down  to  the  twelfth,  which  locate 
the  time  of  the  disappearance  of  these  gifts  just 
where  the  Ephesian  letter  does — viz,  "when  that 
which  is  perfect  is  come,"  when  we  no  longer  see 
through  a  glass  darkly,  but  "face  to  face,"  and  shall 
know  as  we  are  known. 

While  a  church  of  Christ  on  earth  is  necessary, 
God's  kind  of  officers  must  be  in  it  to  do  God's  kind 
of  work.  While  we  are  mortal  and  human,  and  only 
partially  informed  in  things  of  God,  prophecy, 
knowledge,  and  interpretation  of  tongues  will  be 
necessary  to  bring  us  information,  as  occasion 
demands. 

While  evil  spirits  and  evil  men  and  seducers  are 
abroad,  the  gift  of  "discernment  of  spirits"  will  be 
needed;  while  sickness,  affliction,  and  accidents  pre- 
vail, the  gifts  of  healing  and  miracles  will  be  in 
demand.  Tongues  will  be  in  order  till  we  all  learn 
the  one  "pure  language"  promised,  and  we  catch 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  113 

the  dialect  of  the  redeemed.  These  rungs  in  the 
divine  ladder  will  all  be  necessary  for  our  climbing 
till  we  reach  the  height  and  full  measure  of  Christ's 
stature — the  perfection  promised;  after  that  the 
ladder  may  be  dispensed  with,  for  it  reaches  no 
higher,  and  we  never  intend  to  descend.  But  in 
that  day  of  holy  estate  and  blissful  surroundings, 
charity — divine  love — will  still  remain,  and  be  the 
inspiring  and  impelling  power  which  throughout 
the  endless  circle  of  revolving  years  shall  fix  our 
gaze  on  the  Matchless  One,  by  whose  grace  we  were 
made  heirs  of  such  an  inheritance,  and  shall  tune 
our  hearts  and  tongues  to  sing,  "Unto  him  who  hath 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood,  ...  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever !"  Let  those  whose  vanity  leads  them  to  believe 
they  can  climb  to  that  estate  without  the  helps  which 
Christ  thought  to  be  necessary  and  so  lovingly  pro- 
vided pursue  their  chosen  course.  As  for  us,  we 
shall  contend  for  them  as  a  part  of  the  "faith  which 
was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints." 


114  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Authority  from  God— Is  It  Essential?  ' 


Ye  have  not  chosen  ine,  but  I  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained 
you. — John  15 :  16. 

To  sign  the  name  of  another  to  a  document  involv- 
ing his  character  or  estate,  except  under  a  properly 
executed  commission  to  so  act,  is  accounted  a  crime 
in  earthly  courts,  and  is  punishable  under  the 
statutes.  To  assume  magisterial  offices  and  per- 
form their  functions  without  governmental  appoint- 
ment and  legal  qualification  is  a  prerogative  that 
inheres  in  no  man  under  organized  governments. 
This  fact  is  almost  universally  recognized  by  man, 
so  far  as  relates  to  things  human,  but  is  most  reck- 
lessly disregarded  when  dealing  with  matters  per- 
taining to  the  kingdom  and  government  of  God. 
Precedents  of  sacred  history,  commands  of  the  King 
of  kings,  and  warnings  of  the  most  startling  char- 
acter are  all  ignored  or  disposed  of  cavalierly  by 
thousands  of  persons  who  don  the  titles  of  divine 
magistrates  and  go  through  the  forms  of  adminis- 
tration prescribed  in  the  law  without  a  scintilla  of 
evidence  to  prove  their  right  to  officiate  in  any  holy 
office  whatever. 

No  sane  man  would  claim  the  office  of  postmaster 
in  one  of  our  towns  upon  the  sole  ground  that  he 
had  a  copy  of  the  postal  rules  and  regulations  for 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  115 

the  government  of  that  office  in  his  possession,  and 
had  found  appended  thereto  a  commission  given  to 
some  other  man  a  hundred  years  before.  He  would 
well  know  that  such  a  step  would  lead  to  his  arrest 
and  conviction  as  a  trespasser  or  conspirator.  He 
would  not  don  the  ermine  of  the  bench  and  attempt 
to  administer  the  oath  that  is  incident  to  naturaliza- 
tion of  foreigners  upon  the  mere  discovery  of  a 
printed  copy  of  a  commission  given  to  some  judge  a 
century  before,  together  with  a  volume  of  the 
United  States  statutes.  His  native  sense  would  tell 
him  that  not  only  would  his  work  be  wasted,  but 
he  would  invite  upon  himself  the  severe  penalties 
that  follow  conviction  for  forging  the  signatures  of 
office. 

Is  there  any  good  reason  why  this  understanding 
of  law  and  government  should  be  lost  sight  of  when 
we  enter  the  spiritual  realm?  Is  there  any  pro- 
vision in  the  divine  economy  by  virtue  of  which  one 
man  may  act  under  a  commission  given  to  another? 
Does  the  ordination  of  one  man  or  one  dozen  men. 
make  every  other  man  who  reads  an  account  of  it 
a  minister  of  the  same  authority?  Or  does  the 
ordaining  and  commissioning  of  a  dozen  men  to 
one  office  delegate  authority  to  other  men  to  officiate 
in  a  different  office? 

To  all  these  questions  thus  put  the  answer  comes 
— No!  At  least  every  reasoning  student  of  the 
Scriptures  will  thus  answer,  and  yet  the  world  is 
flooded  with  men  and  women  whose  conduct  leads 
us  to  believe  their  answer  would  be  yes  to  all  the 
above  questions. 


116  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

To  illustrate:  Jesus  commissioned  eleven  men, 
whom  he  had  before  ordained.  (See  Mark 
16:  15-18.)  They  were  apostles.  Did  that  ordina- 
tion and  commission  make  apostles  of  all  believers 
who  would  afterward  read  those  verses?  If  it  did, 
why  do  men  persistently  deny  the  existence  of 
apostles  now?  If  it  did  not,  what  office  did  it  con- 
fer upon  all  others  except  the  eleven?  Did  it  make 
them  prophets,  teachers,  evangelists,  deacons, 
bishops,  elders,  or  pastors?  If  any  of  these  offices 
were  conferred,  what  duties  and  prerogatives 
attach  to  them,  or  does  the  commission  apply  equally 
to  all  offices  ?  In  the  latter  case,  why  not  publish  the 
commission  and  act  under  it,  without  curtailing  it? 

As  the  situation  confronts  us  now,  we  have  men 
who  tell  us  first,  that  the  apostolic  office  is  defunct; 
second,  that  there  is  no  commission  on  record  except 
that  which  belongs  to  the  dead  apostolic  office ;  third, 
they  themselves  are  acting  under  an  apostle's  com- 
mission ;  fourth,  they  have  been  ordained  under  that 
commission  as  deacons,  bishops,  elders,  teachers,  or 
evangelists — almost  every  office  but  apostles.  That 
is  to  say,  Christ,  if  his  call  reaches  them  at  all,  com- 
missioned them  as  apostles,  but  the  church  has 
ordained  them  evangelists,  or  deacons,  or  teachers, 
or  pastors.  This  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  the 
offices  existing  in  this  country  before  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  are  all  defunct;  but,  finding 
an  old  document  that  entitled  somebody  to  admis- 
sion to  the  court  of  King  George,  we  are  by  it 
entitled  to  a  seat  as  a  senator  of  the  United  States, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  117 

or  a  member  of  the  President's  cabinet.  What  a 
travesty  on  human  intelligence! 

The  ordination  that  was  observed  in  the -case  of 
the  twelve  apostles,  or  the  seventy  who  were  after- 
wards selected,  did  not  include  Paul.  A  separate 
call  and  ordination  was  needed  in  his  case  (see  Acts 
13:  1-3),  and  yet  he  was  an  apostle.  He  under- 
stood that  his  case  was  no  exception,  for  in  writing 
to  the  Hebrews  he  stated  that  no  man  should  take 
the  honor  of  the  priesthood  (ministry)  unto  him- 
self, but  must  be  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron. 
Going  still  further,  he  declares  that  Christ  himself, 
though  a  son,  learned  obedience,  and  glorified  not 
himself  to  take  the  office  of  minister  until  called  of 
God  to  be  a  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec. 
The  fact  that  such  an  "order"  of  priesthood  existed, 
and  that  Melchisedec  had  been  ordained  thereto, 
also  that  Moses,  Joshua,  and  others  had  been 
ordained  of  God,  did  not  include  Christ  as  a  priest 
or  minister,  nor  did  he  become  one  until  God  called 
him  and  made  him  an  high  priest.  (See  Hebrews 
5:5-10.) 

What  a  pity  that  this  sublime  exhibition  of  the 
divine  order  should  be  so  dishonored!  What  a  sad 
thing  to  think  that  men  will  arrogate  to  themselves 
priestly  prerogatives,  or  allow  themselves  to 
be  persuaded  into  the  performance  of  ministerial 
functions,  without  any  call  from  heaven!  What  a 
painfully  anomalous  position  does  that  man  occupy 
who  with  one  breath  declares  that  God  has  not 
spoken  directly  to  man  since  the  days  of  John's 
banishment  on  Patmos,  and  with  the  next  breath 


118  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

announces  himself  a  minister  of  divine  ceremonies 
and  an  officer  in  the  church  of  God!  By  whose 
voice  was  he  called  to  minister,  if  God  has  been 
silent  for  eighteen  hundred  years?  By  what  author- 
ity does  such  a  man  sign  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
God  the  Father,  or  the  Holy  Ghost  to  his  baptismal 
and  other  administrations,  as  he  certainly  does 
when,  with  hand  upraised,  he  utters  the  words,  "I 
baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost"? 

The  agent  whom  a  firm  sends  out  properly  cre- 
dentialed  can,  under  the  rule  of  his  appointment  and 
within  the  territory  assigned  him,  sign  the  firm 
name,  and  the  firm  is  bound  by  what  he  binds;  but 
what  firm  will  agree  to  be  held  by  the  inscription 
of  its  name  by  unauthorized  men  and  women  all 
over  the  world?  The  name  used  by  the  former 
confers  all  the  contract  implies  upon  the  other  party 
to  the  procedure,  even  to  the  last  available  cent  that 
the  firm  possesses;  but  the  use  of  the  firm  name  by 
the  unauthorized  or  self-made  agents  confers  noth- 
ing upon  the  party  with  whom  they  deal,  nor  does 
it  obligate  the  firm  for  a  farthing.  The  official  use 
of  a  government's  seal  and  signature  by  a  duly  com- 
missioned ambassador  within  the  purview  of  his 
appointment  binds  the  government  represented,  and 
confers  upon  the  nation  or  individuals  treated  with, 
all  that  is  implied  in  the  treaty;  but  a  duplicate  of 
all  his  work  by  another  who  had  not  been  ordained 
to  such  services  by  the  nation  would  effect  nothing 
except  the  exposure  of  the  impostor  to  legal  punish- 
ment. The  nation  or  persons  dealing,  without 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  119 

investigation,  with  such  a  self-styled  ambassador, 
would  suffer  simply  by  failure  to  reap  what  they 
hoped  to  realize. 

When  the  Master  sent  out  his  agents,  he  author- 
ized them  to  operate  in  the  name  (by  the  authority) 
of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  (see  Matthew 
28:  19),  and  said  that  what  was  bound  by  them  on 
earth  would  be  bound  in  heaven,  and  what  they 
loosed  on  earth  would  be  loosed  in  heaven.  (See 
Matthew  16 :  19 ;  18 :  19 ;  John  20 :  23.)  Under 
such  credentials  they,  when  administering  accord- 
ing to  the  law,  could  safely  sign  the  names  of  the 
Godhead,  and  the  candidates  receiving  their  admin- 
istrations were  thus  made  legal  claimants  upon  the 
treasury  on  high.  Heaven  is  bound  by  the  work  of 
its  duly  commissioned  agents,  but  under  no  obliga- 
tions to  respect  the  operation  of  usurpers  or  self- 
made  representatives.  What,  then,  do  they  "bind" 
or  "loose"  in  heaven?  What  do  their  ceremonies 
confer  upon  the  candidates?  Who  will  answer?  No 
wonder  that  our  churches  to-day  do  not  present  a 
scene  corresponding  with  the  life  of  the  body  nine- 
teen centuries  ago.  No  wonder  spiritual  gifts  and 
miraculous  power  are  wanting.  God  does  not 
certify  to  the  work  of  men  he  did  not  call.  They 
followed  only  as  long  as  the  minister's  work  on 
earth  "bound  in  heaven."  When  men  began  to 
"heap  to  themselves  teachers,"  God  withdrew,  and 
took  the  man-child,  or,  in  other  words,  took  the 
authority  back  to  himself  (see  Revelation  12:5), 
and  divine  authority  ceased  on  earth,  only  to  be 
restored  when,  in  the  fullness  of  times,  he  should 


120  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

send  the  "angel  fly  [ing]  in  the  midst  of  heaven 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach."  (Reve- 
lation 14:  6.)  The  question  is  a  serious  one — 
eternal  interests  hinge  upon  it;  hence  let  us  ask  of 
all  who  announce  themselves  as  ministers  of  Christ, 
"By  what  authority?"  Produce  your  credentials. 

In  his  eagerness  to  save  the  church  from  dis- 
aster, Paul  frequently  pointed  its  members  to  the 
record  of  their  fathers,  and  especially  to  those  parts 
of  it  where  the  consequences  of  wrong-doing  were 
exposed.  In  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  he  was 
especially  earnest  in  his  tones  of  caution.  After 
referring  to  the  terrible  calamities  which  befell 
many,  he  makes  his  application  thus: 

Now  all  these  things  happened  unto  them  for  ensamples: 
and  they  are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon  whom  the 
ends  of  the  world  are  come.  Wherefore  let  him  that  thinketh 
he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall. — 1  Corinthians  10:  11,  12. 

If  the  lessons  taught  were  written  for  the  "admo- 
nition" of  those  "upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world 
are  come,"  we  of  to-day  ought  surely  to  be  inter- 
ested therein.  It  is  therefore  in  order  for  us  to  go 
over  some  of  the  ground  referred  to,  and  learn  by 
comparison  whether  or  not  we  are  standing  as  they 
stood  who  fell  and  suffered  so  severely.  Undoubt- 
edly we  are  among  those  who  think  they  stand. 
Let  us  therefore  examine  the  ground  we  occupy, 
and  take  "heed"  lest  we  fall. 

Our  object  in  canvassing  the  ground  of  this  dis- 
course is  to  determine  the  safety  or  otherwise  of 
the  position  occupied  by  men  who  publish  them- 
selves as  God's  ministers,  and  at  the  same  time 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  121 

admit  that  they  have  never  been  called  to  that  serv- 
ice "as  was  Aaron."     (Hebrews  5:4.) 

First,  we  furnish  the  evidence  as  to  Aaron's  call, 
and  then  show  how  God  warned  all,  under  heavy 
penalties,  against  usurping  the  rights  of  the  priestly 
office: 

And  take  thou  unto  thee  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  his  sons 
with  him,  from  among  the  children  of  Israel,  that  he  may 
minister  unto  me  in  the  priest's  office. — Exodus  28 :  1. 

And  thou  shalt  put  upon  Aaron  the  holy  garments,  and 
anoint  him,  and  sanctify  him,  that  he  may  minister  unto  me 
in  the  priest's  office. — Exodus  40:  13. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Aaron,  Thou  and  thy  sons  and 
thy  father's  house  with  thee  shall  bear  the  iniquity  of  the 
sanctuary:  and  thou  and  thy  sons  with  thee  shall  bear  the 
iniquity  of  your  priesthood.  ...  I  have  given  your  priest's 
office  unto  you  as  a  service  of  gift;  and  the  stranger  that 
cometh  nigh  shall  be  put  to  death.  ...  I  also  have  given 
thee  charge  of  my  heave  offerings  of  all  the  hallowed  things 
of  the  children  of  Israel;  unto  thee  have  I  given  them  by 
reason  of  the  anointing,  and  to  thy  sons,  by  an  ordinance 
for  ever. — Numbers  18 :  1-7,  8. 

These  texts  clearly  evidence  that  Aaron  was 
called  to  the  ministry  by  direct  revelation  from  God 
through  a  living  prophet,  also  that  the  calling  was 
confirmed  unto  himself  by  the  voice  of  God.  One 
thing  further  is  plainly  shown — viz,  that  all  but 
those  thus  called  and  ordained  were  warned  not  to 
officiate,  under  penalty  of  death.  Read  the  fourth 
chapter  of  the  same  book,  and  it  will  be  seen  that 
even  the  sons  of  Kohath,  who  were  set  apart  to  the 
services  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  were 
forbidden,  under  penalty  of  death,  to  interfere  in 
anything  relating  to  the  priest's  office.  They  were 


122  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

required  to  bear  the  sanctuary  from  place  to 
place,  but  were  forbidden  to  go  near  it,  or  even  look 
upon  it,  until  all  the  holy  things  thereof  were  cov- 
ered by  Aaron  and  his  associate  priests.  They  were 
not  allowed  to  even  watch  the  performance  of  cov- 
ering these  things. 

They  shall  not  touch  any  holy  thing,  lest  they  die.  .  .  . 
they  shall  not  go  in  to  see  when  the  holy  things  are  cov- 
ered, lest  they  die. — Numbers  4:  15-20. 

This  was  no  idle  threat,  as  we  shall  presently  see. 
God  intended  it  as  a  law  to  govern  "throughout 
their  generations."  If  they  ignored  that  law,  they 
suffered  the  consequences.  In  evidence  of  this 
awful  fact,  we  present  the  following  from  the  six- 
teenth chapter  of  Numbers: 

Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  together  with  two 
hundred  and  fifty  princes,  famous  in  the  congrega- 
tion, men  of  renown,  rose  up  against  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  charged  them  with  taking  too  much 
upon  themselves.  They  announced  that  the  congre- 
gation of  the  people  were  holy  and  the  Lord  was 
with  them  all,  and  that  Moses  and  Aaron  were  no 
better  than  the  rest.  They  asked,  "Wherefore  then 
lift  ye  up  yourselves  above  the  congregation  of  the 
Lord?"— Verses  1-3. 

That  they  were  seeking  to  exercise  the  rights  of 
priesthood,  on  the  ground  that  they  were  as  good 
as  Moses  and  Aaron,  is  clear;  for  Moses  fell  on  his 
face,  and  referred  the  matter  to  God  for  decision, 
and  said  that  on  the  morrow  the  Lord  would  reveal 
whom  he  had  chosen.  He  then  charged  them  to 
bring  their  censers  (priestly  emblems) ,  and  attempt 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  123 

to  offer  incense  before  the  Lord  on  the  morrow,  and 
let  God  decide  whom  he  had  chosen;  for,  said  he, 
"Ye  take  too  much  upon  you,  ye  sons  of  Levi." — 
Verses  4-7. 

To  confirm  this  conclusion,  we  offer  the  next  three 
verses,  verbatim: 

And  Moses  said  unto  Korah,  Hear,  I  pray  you,  ye  sons 
of  Levi :  Seemeth  it  but  a  small  •  thing  unto  you,  that  the 
God  of  Israel  hath  separated  you  from  the  congregation  of 
Israel,  to  bring  you  near  to  himself  to  do  the  service  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  and  to  stand  before  the  congrega- 
tion to  minister  unto  them?  And  he  hath  brought  thee  near 
to  him,  and  all  thy  brethren  the  sons  of  Levi  with  thee:  and 
seek  ye  the  priesthood  also? — Numbers  16:  8-11. 

What  was  the  result  of  this  submission  of  the 
case  to  the  God  who  had  said  that  none  but  those 
chosen  should  touch  the  holy  things,  lest  they  die? 
What  was  his  decision?  The  record  presents  an 
appalling  reply  to  these  questions.  The  earth 
opened  and  engulfed  the  three  men  and  all  their 
households,  fire  from  heaven  descended  and  con- 
sumed the  two  hundred  and  fifty  princes,  and  thus 
was  the  claim  of  the  priests'  sole  right  to  minister 
in  the  holy  offices  vindicated;  but  the  terribleness 
of  God's  denunciation  does  not  end  there,  for  we 
read  that  on  the  morrow  the  congregation  mur- 
mured against  Moses  and  Aaron  and  charged  them 
with  this  fearful  slaughter.  Instantly  the  plague 
began  its  ravages  among  them,  and  before  Aaron 
could  make  an  atonement  for  them,  fourteen  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  had  perished.  The  book  says 
God  was  "provoked."  And  it  is  well  that  we  remem- 
ber what  provoked  him.  If  this  was  one  of  the 


124  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

things  that  occurred  for  "ensamples,"  and  was 
written  "for  our  admonition,"  will  it  not  be  well 
for  us  to  "take  heed"  lest  we  fall,  though  we  think 
we  stand? 

In  the  following  chapter  we  read  that  God  caused 
the  rod  of  Aaron  alone  to  bud  and  blossom  and 
yield  almonds,  and  then  commanded  that  it  be  pre- 
served as  a  token  against  the  "rebels"  who  "mur- 
mured" against  him  and  his  doings.  We  see  from 
this  that  Paul,  when  he  wrote  the  words  containing 
the  warning  we  have  presented,  had  his  mind  upon 
this  terrible  event,  for  he  said:  "Neither  murmur 
ye,  as  some  of  them  also  murmured,  and  were 
destroyed  of  the  destroyer." — 1  Corinthians  10 :  10. 

Let  the  reader  now  turn  to  the  sixth  chapter  of 
the  First  Book  of  Samuel.  In  it  will  be  found  as 
striking  an  evidence  as  the  other. 

The  ark  of  God  had  been  taken  by  the  Philistines ; 
but  a  plague  followed  everywhere  they  took  it,  and 
their  god,  Dagon,  was  cast  down  and  destroyed  when 
they  placed  the  ark  in  the  same  room.  They 
resolved,  therefore,  to  return  the  ark,  and  send  offer- 
ings in  atonement.  Securing  two  milch  kine,  they 
tied  them  to  a  new  cart,  upon  which  they  placed  the 
ark  and  their  offerings,  and  turned  them  loose  upon 
the  road,  deciding  that  if  the  cattle  went  by  way 
of  Beth-shemesh,  it  would  signify  to  them  that  the 
God  of  Israel  had  afflicted  them ;  otherwise  it  would 
prove  that  a  mere  chance  had  happened  to  them. 
The  cattle  went  by  the  straight  way  to  Beth- 
shemesh,  and  stopped  at  the  field  of  Joshua,  where 
wheat  harvest  was  in  progress.  The  Israelites 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  125 

rejoiced  over  the  ark's  return,  and  the  Levites  lifted 
it  unto  a  stone,  then  hewed  the  cart  into  firewood, 
slew  the  cattle,  and  offered  a  burnt  offering  in 
expression  of  gratitude  to  God.  Perhaps  it  was 
their  curiosity  that  led  the  people  to  look  into  the 
ark  to  see  if  everything  was  as  safe  as  when  the 
Philistines  captured  it.  Whatever  was  the  prompt- 
ing cause,  it  is  certain  they  committed  that  grave 
folly,  and,  as  a  consequence,  ''fifty  thousand  and 
three  score  and  ten  men"  were  slain.  God  had  not 
forgotten  his  word,  and  another  "ensample"  must 
occur,  which  has  been  written  for  our  admonition. 

After  this  terrible  visitation,  the  ark  of  God  was 
sent  to  Kirjath-jearim,  and  placed  in  the  house  of 
Abinadab,  under  the  care  of  Eleazar,  who  was 
ordained  to  that  charge.  There  it  remained  twenty 
years,  until  David,  the  king,  came  with  thirty  thou- 
sand chosen  men  of  Israel  to  take  it  up  to  Jerusalem. 
In  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Second  Book  of  Samuel 
the  account  is  given  of  his  journey.  Placing  it  upon 
a  new  cart,  to  which  oxen  were  attached,  they 
appointed  Uzzah  and  Ahio  to  drive  the  oxen.  All 
went  wrell,  amid  music  from  harps,  timbrels, 
psalteries,  cornets,  and  cymbals,  until  they  reached 
Nachon's  threshing-floor,  when  the  oxen  stumbled 
(see  also  1  Chronicles  13:  9,  10),  and  Uzzah,  under 
a  sudden  impulse,  put  forth  his  hand  to  steady  the 
ark,  which  was  being  shaken.  It  was  a  fatal  mis- 
take,- and  no  sooner  had  his  unconsecrated  hand 
touched  the  ark  than  the  shaft  of  death  smote  him 
in  the  presence  of  the  people. 


126  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

The  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Uzzah;  and 
God  smote  him  there  for  his  error;  and  there  he  died  by 
the  ark  of  God. — Verse  7. 

One  more  ensample  added  to  the  list,  by  which 
God  admonishes  those  "upon  whom  the  ends  of  the 
world  are  come." 

Still  another  event  we  offer  in  point:  It  is  men- 
tioned in  2  Chronicles  26 :  1-23.  A  young  man, 
Uzziah  by  name,  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  was 
made  king,  and  reigned  fifty-two  years.  Divine 
favor  attended  nearly  all  his  efforts,  for  he  did  that 
which  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  until  the 
latter  part  of  his  reign.  To  read  the  account  of  his 
prosperity  is  like  reading  anew  the  record  of  Solo- 
mon's greatness;  but: 

When  he  was  strong,  his  heart  was  lifted  up  to  his  destruc- 
tion :  for  he  transgressed  against  the  Lord  his  God,  and  went 
into  the  temple  of  the  Lord  to  burn  incense  upon  the  altar 
of  incense. — 2  Chronicles  26:  16. 

Here  was  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  a  king,  who 
for  nearly  fifty  years  had  been  living  in  favor  with 
God,  to  perform  a  service  which  none  but  the  priest- 
hood had  authority  to  observe.  What  a  pity  that 
great  men  should  blunder  so  egregiously!  but  God 
could  not  wink  at  so  grave  an  offense : 

And  Azariah  the  priest  went  in  after  him,  and  with  him 
fourscore  priests  of  the  Lord,  that  were  valiant  men:  and 
they  withstood  Uzziah  the  king,  and  said  unto  him,  It 
appertaineth  not  unto  thee,  Uzziah,  to  burn  incense  unto 
the  Lord,  but  to  the  priests  the  sons  of  Aaron,  that  are 
consecrated  to  burn  incense:  go  out  of  the  sanctuary;  for 
thou  hast  trespassed;  neither  shall  it  be  for  thine  honor 
from  the  Lord  God.  Then  Uzziah  was  wroth,  and  had  a 
censer  in  his  hand  to  burn  incense:  and  while  he  was 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  127 

wroth  with  the  priests,  the  leprosy  even  rose  up  in  his  fore- 
head before  the  priests  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  from 
beside  the  incense  altar.  And  Azariah  the  chief  priest,  and 
all  the  priests,  looked  upon  him,  and,  behold,  he  was  leprous 
in  his  forehead,  and  they  thrust  him  out  from  thence;  yea, 
himself  hasted  also  to  go  out,  because  the  Lord  had  smitten 
him.  And  Uzziah  the  king  was  a  leper  unto  the  day  of  his 
death,  and  dwelt  in  a  several  house,  being  a  leper;  for  he 
was  cut  off  from  the  house  of  the  Lord. — 2  Chronicles 
26:  17-21. 

How  sad  an  ending  to  so  grand  a  life!  A  life 
that  was  lifted  into  prominence  by  the  abundant 
blessing  of  God,  goes  out  under  the  divine  curse. 
What  an  "ensample"  to  "him  that  thinketh  he 
standeth,"  but  who  essays  to  minister  in  holy  offices 
without  being  appointed  of  God,  "as  was  Aaron" ! 

The  case  of  Saul,  the  king,  was  similar.  God 
raised  him  up  from  obscurity  to  the  highest  pin- 
nacle of  earthly  glory;  but  he  attempted  to  perform 
the  functions  of  a  priest,  contrary  to  God's  order, 
and  the  kingdom  Was  rent  from  him  and  given  to 
David.  (See  1  Samuel  13:  8-14.)  Saul's  light  and 
life  soon  went  out  in  dishonor,  and  the  record  of  his 
course  is  before  us  as  one  of  the  "ensamples" 
referred  to  by  the  apostle,  which  stand  as  an* admo- 
nition to  all  who  will  read. 

What  is  the  lesson  we  learn  from  all  these  occur- 
rences? Do  they  not  speak  in  thunder  tones  of 
warning  against  the  assumption  of  sacred  offices 
without  a  call  thereto  from  heaven?  "Under- 
standest  thou  what  thou  readest?"  Surely  the 
Lord  has  no  less  regard  for  the  sacredness  of  the 
ministry  nnder  the  gospel  than  for  that  under 
Moses.  Who  are  we,  then,  that  we  should  disre- 


128  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

gard  the  counsel  of  inspiration  and  the  example  of 
Christ,  and  dare  to  assume  the  sacerdotal  garb  to 
minister  in  the  name  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  without  having  heard  a  word  from  God, 
notifying  us  through  a  living  prophet  on  earth,  that 
we  have  been  chosen  for  such  station  and  work? 
Oh,  ye  deniers  of  present  revelation,  rise  and 
answer:  What  better  claim  on  the  office  of  priest 
have  you  than  had  Korah,  Dathan,  Abiram,  the 
two  hundred  and  fifty  princes,  the  Beth-shemites, 
Uzzah,  Uzziah,  or  Saul?  Show  your  credentials, 
and  let  them  be  examined  in  the  light  of  these 
words : 

And  no  man  taketh  this  honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that  is 
called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.  So  also  Christ  glorified  not 
himself  to  be  made  an  high  priest;  but  he  that  said  unto 
him,  Thou  art  my  son,  to-day  have  I  begotten  thee.  As  he 
saith  also  in  another  place,  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  after 
the  order  of  Melchisedec. — Hebrews  5 :  4-6. 

Do  we  hear  some  one  ask  why  these  judgments 
do  not  follow  men  now  if  their  work  is  equally  cen- 
surable ?  Let  us  remind  the  inquirer  that  under  the 
law  of  Moses  the  penalty  was  physical  death,  and 
that  immediately,  for  nearly  all  offenses  of  grave 
character;  but  under  "the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life 
in  Christ  Jesus,"  a  different  death — a  spiritual 
death — final  separation  from  God — is  the  penalty, 
and  as  for  all  other  offenses,  the  judgment  is  not 
visited  here,  but 

He  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  which  he  will  judge  the 
world.— Acts  17:  31. 

It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  but  after  this  the 
iuderment. — Hebrews  9 :  27. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  129 

And  oh,  terrible  thought!   Jesus  has  said: 

Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not 
prophesied  in  thy  name?  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out 
devils?  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works? 
And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  [sent — 
authorized]  you:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. — 
Matthew  7 :  22,  23. 

It  is  not  iniquity  to  cast  devils  out  of  men,  nor 
to  do  all  the  wonderful  works  of  good  that  lie  in 
our  power.  It  is  no  sin  to  foretell  what  we  dis- 
cern to  be  inevitable;  but  it  is  a  sin — a  grave  crime 
— to  do  these  things  in  the  name  of  Christ,  if  he  did 
not  appoint  us  to  the  work.  It  is  the  use  of  the 
divine  name  or  authority  that  will  be  condemned; 
"for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  tak- 
eth  his  name  in  vain"  (or  without  authority). 
Christ  can  not  be  understood  in  the  above  as  mean- 
ing that  he  did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  such 
men  on  earth;  but  that  he  did  not  recognize  them 
as  his  representatives.  Another  translation  ren- 
ders it,  "Ye  never  knew  me,"  implying  that  they 
acted  without  hearing  from  God  in  the  matter. 

Judgment  will  surely  come  upon  all  in  due  time, 
and  its  decisions  will  be  everlasting  and  irrevocable. 
The  wise  man  wrote  once : 

Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed 
speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set 
in  them  to  do  evil. — Ecclesiastes  8:  11. 

We  live  in  a  day  when  the  wisdom  of  the  teacher 
comes  from  the  seminaries  of  the  world,  and  when 
men,  as  a  consequence,  are  wise  above  what  is  writ- 
ten by  inspiration;  and  because  God  is  merciful  in 
withholding  judgment,  they  persist  in  ignoring  his 


130  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

warnings.  Only  a  few  months  ago  we  conversed 
with  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  popular  clergy- 
men in  the  State,  and,  after  presenting  evidences 
similar  to  the  above,  he  frankly  acknowledged  he 
had  never  read  or  heard  of  them  before,  though  foi 
years  a  preacher  of  the  Bible.  Surely  his  was  a 
case  of  "the  blind"  leading  "the  blind,"  and  he  need 
not  be  surprised  if  some  day  he  finds  himself  and 
his  followers  in  "the  ditch."  Is  it  not  of  infinite 
importance  that  we  ask,  "Has  God  chosen  us,  or 
have  we  chosen  ourselves,  and  is  our  inscription  of 
the  Godhead  names  upon  our  performances  an 
authoritative  one  which  will  'bind  in  heaven/  or  is 
it  a  forgery?" 

By  the  awful  warnings  of  heaven,  by  the  example 
of  Christ,  and  by  the  counsel  of  inspiration,  let  us 
examine  the  ground  we  occupy,  and,  while  v/e  think 
we  stand,  take  heed  lest  we  fall. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  131 


Living  Church. 


For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or  what  shall  a  man  give 
in  exchange  for  his  soul? — Matthew  16:  26. 

The  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead. — James  2 :  26. 

I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might 
have  it  more  abundantly.— John  10 :  10. 

He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church:  who  is  the  begin- 
ning, the  first-born  from  the  dead.  .  .  .  For  his  body's  sake 
which  is  the  church. — Colossians  1 :  18,  24. 

In  the  above  statement,  recorded  by  John,  we  have 
a  brief  but  comprehensive  announcement  of  the 
object  of  Christ's  mission  to  this  world  (it  was 
made  by  Jesus  himself,  and  is  the  most  reliable 
information  to  be  had  upon  the  subject)  :  to  give 
life  to  the  people  more  abundantly  than  it  was  then 
possessed  by  them.  No  time  will  be  taken  here  to 
prove  that  spiritual  or  divine — eternal  life — was 
referred  to,  for  all  will  admit  this  without  it. 
Hence  we  ask,  What  is  life?  Paul  says:  "For  to 
be  carnally  minded  is  death;  but  to  be  spiritually 
minded  is  life  and  peace."— Romans  8 :  6. 

James  says,  as  shown  in  one  of  our  leading  texts, 
that  "the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead."  Hence 
we  have  the  thought  as  expressed  in  the  tenth  verse 
of  the  above  chapter,  that  "the  spirit  is  life."  In 


132  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

John  6:  63  Jesus  is  shown  to  have  said  that  his 
words  were  spirit  and  life.  These  statements  all 
agree  as  to  intention,  and  tell  us  that  death  is  sepa- 
ration and  life  is  union.  The  going  out  of  the  spirit 
or  its  separation  from  the  physical  body  is  death. 
So,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  the  separation  of  the 
Spirit  from  the  body — the  church — is  death  to  the 
church.  The  life  of  the  church  depends  upon  its 
union  with  the  Spirit.  The  carnal  mind  has  no 
union  with  Christ,  because  "it  is  not  subject  to  the 
law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be." 

In  seeking  to  give  life  to  the  world,  then,  Jesus 
must  eliminate  the  carnal  mind  and  substitute  the 
spiritual  mind  in  us — he  must  fit  us  to  have  union 
with  the  Spirit;  hence  he  introduced  "the  law  of 
the  spirit  of  life" — the  gospel — to  emancipate  us 
from  all  things  carnal.  He  came  as  "God  manifest 
in  the  flesh"  with  this  intent.  With  the  hand  of 
his  humanity  he  embraces  the  man,  and  with  the 
hand  of  his  divinity  he  retains  his  hold  upon  God, 
and  his  purpose  is  to  bring  these  two  hands 
together — to  cover  the  distance  of  human  carnality 
and  effect  a  union  that  makes  the  Spirit  operative 
within  us  and  gives  us  life  divine. 

That  a  degree  of  this  divinity  is  already  resident 
within  us  seems  apparent  from  what  we  read  in 
John  1:9;  for,  speaking  of  Christ,  he  says  that  he 
was  "the  true  light,  which  lighteth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world."  He  says  also  in  verse  4 
that  "in  him  was  life;  and  the  life  was  the  light 
of  men."  Hence  we  conclude  that  none  are  without 
some  remote  degree  of  that  "life" — "light"  from 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  133 

birth.  Against  this  idea  the  "total  depravity"  doc- 
trine of  some  popular  churches  must  cry  out  in 
vain.  There  is  no  scriptural  warrant  for  the  old 
idea  that  "man  is  by  nature,"  or  from  birth,  "totally 
depraved."  It  is  true  they  have  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist,  "I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in  sin  did 
my  mother  conceive  me." — Psalm  51 :  5.  But  he 
was  merely  pleading  that  fact,  as  in  extenuation, 
when  confessing  his  grievous  life-sins  to  God;  and 
while  it  might  have  been  true  in  his  case,  that 
would  not  make  it  necessarily  true  in  any  other 
case.  Lust  and  adultery  are  born  in  some  as  a 
transmitted  taint,  and  frequently  are  the  product  of 
illicit  relations,  but  that  does  not  make  the  offspring 
of  the  God-ordained  marriage  relation  a  "totally 
depraved"  product.  There  is  nothing  in  the  lan- 
guage to  make  it  applicable  to  any  other  but  the 
Psalmist  himself.  The  very  catechisms  that  have 
taught  this  total  depravity  on  one  page  have  also 
taught  on  another  that  man  is  made  in  "the  image 
of  God."  If  this  latter  statement  is  employed  by  us 
to  prove  that  God  is  a  personality — Jesus  being  the 
"express  image"  of  his  Father's  person  (Hebrews 
1:  3),  and  the  race  was  started  in  the  image  of  God 
(see  Genesis  1:27),  our  objectors  call  us  blas- 
phemers, or  materialists,  or  worse  things.  They 
insist  that  man  was  not  made  in  the  external  or 
physical  image,  but  in  the  moral  image  of  God.  If 
this  be  true,  who  are  the  blasphemers?  If  we  are 
made  in  the  moral  image  of  God,  and  we  are  created 
"totally  depraved,"  are  we  any  worse  than  God? 


134  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Let  the  advocates  of  such  a  doctrine  answer,  if 
there  are  any  remaining. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  we  believe  in  total 
depravity  as  a  possibility.  It  may  be  manifest  late 
in  or  at  the  close  of  a  life  wholly  given  over  to  lust 
and  crime  and  vice  of  every  kind.  A  man  may, 
oy  such  a  course,  finally  obliterate  the  last  trace  of 
this  light  or  life  from  his  character;  but  no  man 
was  ever  born  totally  depraved.  It  would  be  the 
mission  of  an  idiot  to  write  as  the  apostle  did  of 
the  danger  of  waxing  "worse  and  worse  in  iniquity" 
to  a  people  who  were  "totally  depraved"  to  begin 
with. 

The  mission  of  Christ  was  that  the  sons  of  men 
might  have  this  life  "more  abundantly" ;  hence  the 
gospel  was  made  operative  with  the  Spirit  as  its 
accompaniment.  Now,  the  question  for  us  to  answer 
is,  "Do  we  want  it?"  If  we  do  not,  we  can  consist- 
ently dismiss  Christ  from  our  theorizings  and  prac- 
tices; but  if  we  do  want  it,  then  consistency  holds 
us  to  an  observance  of  all  things  made  essential  by 
Christ  for  its  acquirement — obedience  to  every 
detail.  Hence  the  inquiry  is  pertinent,  What  did 
Christ  do  and  enjoin  in  the  pursuit  of  his  mission 
to  give  life  to  man? 

In  pursuing  this  thought,  we  quickly  run  up 
against  a  church  which  he  brought  into  existence, 
and  we  conclude  that  it  was  one  of  the  essentials  in 
the  work  of  his  mission.  From  Ephesians  2 :  22  we 
learn  that  that  church  was  created  to  be  a  "habita- 
tion of  God,  through  the  Spirit."  This  would  evi- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  135 

dently  give  life  to  the  body — the  church.  But  how 
was  that  Spirit's  presence — life — to  be  manifested? 
By  examining  a  human  body  we  decide  whether 
there  is  a  spirit  or  life  in  it  by  its  ability  to  feel, 
hear,  see,  speak;  by  the  respiration,  the  circulation 
of  the  blood,  etc.  If,  upon  careful  examination,  we 
find  no  pulse,  no  sensitiveness  to  noise  or  contact, 
no  indication  of  heart-action,  no  reaction  of  the 
pupils  of  the  eye  to  light — if  the  eye  is  glazed  and 
the  limbs  are  rigid,  we  pronounce  the  body  dead. 
Why?  Because  the  spirit  is  absent?  But  how  do 
we  know  that?  Because  it  is  not  doing  its  work; 
and  though  by  chemical  or  other  processes  we  may 
preserve  that  body  to  exhibit  our  wisdom  and  skill 
for  a  time,  yet  we  can  never  make  it  fill  the  mission 
nor  perform  the  work  intended  for  it  at  its  creation. 
These  "signs"  or  indications  for  which  we  searched 
were  not  life,  it  is  true,  but  they  were  the  "mani- 
festations" of  life — of  the  spirit.  Their  presence 
would  have  proven  the  spirit  to  be  resident  in  the 
body;  their  absence  proved  it  to  be  dead.  Man's 
mission  is  to  possess  and  enjoy  and  transmit  life, 
under  the  conditions  legally  ordained  for  his  phys- 
ical estate;  but  although  that  legal  ordination 
remains — the  law  of  physical  conditions  remains 
intact,  the  procreation  design  is  unchanged ;  yet  this 
man,  created  under  that  law  and  design,  and 
intended  to  operate  within  its  provisions,  can  not 
transmit  life,  because  he  does  not  possess  it — he  is 
dead!  only  fit  for  burial  out  of  our  sight.  It  was 
intended  as  a  tabernacle  for  the  Spirit,  but  the 
spirit  is  gone. 


136  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

What  of  the  body  of  Christ — the  church — the 
habitation  of  the  Spirit?  By  what  "signs"  or  mani- 
festations can  we  determine  the  presence  or  absence 
of  that  Spirit — whether  it  be  living  or  dead?  Read 
the  entire  twelfth  chapter  of  1  Corinthians,  and 
learn.  Note  from  the  twenty-seventh  and  twenty- 
eighth  verses  that  the  saints  comprise  the  body,  or 
church. 

Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particu- 
lar. And  God  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles, 
secondarily  prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles, 
then  gifts  of  healings,  helps,  governments,  diversities  of 
tongues. 

From  verses  7  to  11  learn  what  are  the  "mani- 
festations" of  the  Spirit — of  life,  by  the  presence 
or  absence  of  which  we  can  determine  whether  the 
church  be  alive  or  dead.  Let  us  read: 

But  the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man 
to  profit  withal.  For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word 
of  wisdom;  to  another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same 
Spirit;  to  another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the 
gifts  of  healing  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  working 
of  miracles;  to  another  prophecy;  to  another  discerning  of 
spirits;  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues;  to  another  the 
interpretation  of  tongues;  but  all  these  worketh  that  one 
and  the  selfsame  Spirit,  dividing  to  every  man  severally  as 
he  will. 

These  correspond  with  the  "signs"  promised  of 
Jesus  in  Mark  16 :  17,  18 ;  and  an  acquaintance  with 
these  things  empowers  us  to  protect  ourselves 
against  deceivers  and  organizations  which,  without 
warrant,  claim  to  be  the  church  of  Christ.  If  these 
"signs"  or  manifestations  are  present,  they  indicate 
the  presence  of  the  Spirit — they  prove  life,  that 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  137 

the  soul  is  resident  in  the  body.  If  they  are  not 
present,  it  is  because  the  Spirit  is  not  there,  and  the 
thing  is  dead.  It  may  be  embellished  with  popular 
or  modern  features,  and  be  very  attractive  to  the 
eye;  it  may  allure  and  retain  its  members  by  thou- 
sands ;  it  may  delight  the  eye  and  gratify  the  carnal 
appetite;  but  one  thing  it  can  not  do — it  can  not 
transmit  spiritual  life,  and  he  who  unites  himself 
with  it  by  ceremony  or  enrollment  is  simply  tied  to 
a  corpse.  There  is  no  salvation  there. 

God's  ways  are  alike  in  the  physical  and  spiritual 
realms.  When  creating  the  physical  body,  he  made 
it  of  the  material  at  hand — the  dust  of  the  earth. 
It  was  endowed  with  eyes,  ears,  hands,  feet,  and  all 
the  internal  and  external  organs  which  constitute 
man,  yet  was  incapable  of  sight,  hearing,  thought, 
feeling,  motion,  taste,  or  smell,  until  God  breathed 
into  it  "the  breath  of  life."  (Genesis  2:7.)  Then 
it  saw,  heard,  spoke,  and  moved.  It  was  adapted 
to  its  environment.  It  was  ready  to  fill  its  mission, 
under  the  law  already  existing,  as  a  procreator, 
that  the  earth  might  be  multiplied  and  replenished. 

When  Jesus  came,  another  type  of  creation — a 
spiritual  body — was  to  be  produced.  Paul  says: 

That  was  not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is 
natural,  and  afterward  that  which  is  spiritual.  The  first 
man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy:  the  second  man  is  the  Lord 
from  heaven. — 1  Corinthians  15 :  45-47. 

Here  he  is  speaking  of  Adam  and  Christ.  In 
creating  this  spiritual  body — the  church — Jesus 
observed  the  lines  pursued  by  his  Father  in  the 
physical  creation.  He  said: 


138  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth 
the  Father  do:  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these  also 
doeth  the  Son  likewise. — John  5:  19. 

Hence  he  took  of  the  material  available — the 
humble  Galileeans,  and  made  of  them  organs  and 
parts  of  the  body ;  they  became  the  eyes,  ears,  hands, 
feet,  etc.  (see  1  Corinthians  12:  14-27),  of  the  spir- 
itual organization,  intended  for  an  "habitation 
of  God  through  the  Spirit."  But  after  all  of  this, 
they  were  as  the  inert  Adamic  body  at  the  first,  for 
Jesus  told  them  to  tarry  at  Jerusalem  until  they 
received  the  Spirit.  (See  Acts  1 :  4,  5.)  Now  trace 
the  parallel  further:  He  came  to  those  thus 
chosen,  and  ordained,  and  "breathed  on  them," 
saying,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  He  then  told 
them  that  this  Holy  Ghost  was  to  enable  them  to 
remit  sins  unto  the  obedient  and  their  work  thus 
done  would  hold  good  in  heaven,  or  those  sins  be 
remitted.  (See  John  20:22,  23.)  This  was 
another  way  of  telling  them  they  should  become 
spiritual  procreators  or  transmitters  of  eternal  life 
through  the  gospel  they  were  to  administer.  Did 
they  receive  this  Spirit  after  tarrying,  as  com- 
manded ?  Read  Acts  2 :  1-33,  giving  especial  atten- 
tion to  the  thirty-third  verse,  and  you  have  the 
answer.  Yes!  Just  as  God  breathed  into  Adam 
the  breath  of  life,  and  Adam  became  a  living  soul 
and  a  channel  of  physical  life  to  others,  so  Jesus 
"breathed"  upon  the  organism  called  his  church, 
or  spiritual  body,  and  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  the 
Spirit,  the  soul  of  the  church,  descended  from 
heaven  and  entered  the  earthly  habitation  prepared, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  139 

and  the  church  became  a  living  soul ;  the  eyes,  ears, 
hands,  feet — the  apostles,  prophets,  etc.,  saw,  heard, 
and  moved  with  spiritual  insight  under  this  bap- 
tism of  life.  It  was  to  be  the  channel  of  the  God- 
life  to  the  world — the  spiritual  transmitter  of 
eternal  good.  Peter  and  the  eleven  stood  up  and 
promised  this  Holy  Ghost  unto  all  who  would  obey 
the  message  they  were  authorized  to  publish.  The 
entire  history  from  that  day  proves,  as  Paul  wrote 
to  the  Corinthians  and  the  Galatians,  that  they 
were  "ministers  of  the  Spirit."  (2  Corinthians 
3:6;  Galatians  3:5.)  A  new  dispensation  had 
dawned  upon  the  world.  The  law  of  Moses,  which 
could  not  give  life,  was  waxen  old  and  vanished 
away,  and  the  church — the  new  creation — stood 
upon  it  as  upon  a  footstool.  The  glory  of  the  "Sun 
of  Righteousness"  clothed  this  beautiful  creation 
of  God,  and  the  twelve  stars  shone  in  the  apostolic 
crown  upon  her  head.  (See  Revelation  12:1.) 
Thus  she  appears  as  the  Lamb's  wife. 

The  material  for  this  new  creation  was  chosen  out 
of  the  world  (see  John  15 :  16-21),  and  was  told  not 
to  "conform"  to  the  world  again,  but  to  be  "trans- 
formed" into  the  image  of  her  Lord.  (Romans 
12:2.)  Upon  condition  of  her  continuance  in  all 
things  commanded  of  God,  Jesus  promised  he  would 
be  with  her  to  the  end  of  the  world.  (See  Matthew 
28:  19,  20.)  His  presence  or  residence  within  her 
through  the  Spirit  was  to  be  witnessed  by  the 
"signs"  and  manifestations  before  referred  to;  and 
history  tells  us  that  as  far  down  through  the  years 
as  she  was  true  to  the  trust  reposed,  that  Spirit  did 


140  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

abide  and  those  signs  were  manifested.  But  there 
came  a  time  when  she  forgot  her  allegiance  to  her 
husband;  when  the  persecuting  dragon  sought  her 
destruction  and  especially  of  the  man  child  which 
had  been  formed  within  her — the  offspring  of  her 
union  with  her  lawful  husband,  the  soul,  the  life, 
the  kingdom  or  priesthood  that  had  been  begotten 
and  developed  within  her.  When  this  occurred,  she 
accepted  the  overtures  or  help  of  the  world  (see 
verse  16)  ;  she  gained  the  world,  but  was  no  longer 
allowed  to  be  the  custodian  of  the  priesthood — the 
man  child.  God  took  that  to  himself — the  God- 
life  left  her — the  soul  that  was  given  her  on  Pente- 
cost was  taken  back  to  God,  and  she  was  no  longer 
the  "habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit" ;  she  was 
but  a  "body  without  the  spirit" — dead.  She  was 
thenceforth  incapable  of  transmitting  life — she 
could  not  minister  the  Spirit,  for  it  had  left  her. 

When  the  human  body  dies,  disintegration  occurs, 
and  the  gases,  etc.,  of  which  it  was  composed  revert 
back  to  their  own  sphere  and  mingle  with  the  mass 
till  the  resurrection  time.  So  with  the  church, 
when  the  Soul  had  gone.  She  quickly  disintegrated 
—went  into  the  wilderness  till  the  time  for  her 
resurrection  or  restoration;  she  went  back,  disor- 
ganized, into  the  world  from  which  she  had  been 
"chosen  out"  by  Jesus. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  add  that  we  have  no  scrip- 
tural warrant  for  saying  that  the  first  text  that 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  discourse  was  applied 
to  other  than  individuals ;  but  we  have  a  something 
within  us  that  broadens  its  significance  and  appli- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  141 

cation,  and  tells  us  that  just  as  James  and  Paul 
used  the  body  of  a  man  to  illustrate  the  body  or 
Church  of  Christ,  even  so  may  we  believe  that  Jesus 
authorized  a  double  application  of  his  words  along 
the  same  line,  and  we  may  quote  him  as  meaning, 
"What  is  the  church  profited  if  it  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  its  own  soul?  or  what  shall  it  give 
in  exchange  for  its  soul?" 

Christendom  presents  the  picture  of  a  soulless 
church,  if  we  are  to  judge  Catholicism  and  Prot- 
estantism in  the  light  of  the  foregoing  tests,  and 
our  attachment  to  their  institutions  will  leave  us 
still  barren  of  the  life  Christ  came  to  supply  so 
abundantly.  The  little  story  of  the  restoration  of 
the  gospel  covenant  and  priesthood  and  gifts,  as 
told  by  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  may  be  denounced  as  a  lie,  and  its  pro- 
moters may  be  published  as  deceivers;  but  if  they 
are,  God  still  lives  and  his  word  is  true,  and  there  is 
not  another  institution  which  claims  to  exhibit  an 
exact  duplicate  of  the  apostolic  organization,  doc- 
trine, and  experience.  Who,  then,  have  the  saving 
processes  within  their  borders?  The  wisest  and 
ablest  of  the  church  promoters  of  to-day  are  coun- 
seling and  conferring  together  at  intervals;  they 
are  revising  their  doctrines  and  changing  their 
methods,  and  indulging  in  experiments  quite 
numerous,  in  hope  of  finally  effecting  a  union  or  a 
basis  or  a  condition  which  will  be  efficient  in  bring- 
ing back  to  the  church  the  soul  or  life  which  nearly 
all  confess  has  been  lost.  "Oh  for  a  return  of  the 
Pentecostal  power  and  glory — the  crowning  and  dis- 


142  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

tinguishing  characteristic  of  the  ancient  church!" 
is  a  cry  not  infrequently  heard  to-day.  Do  not  these 
efforts  and  these  appeals  sound  very  much  like  the 
words  recorded  above,  as  reported  from  the  lips  of 
Jesus,  "What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
"soul"?  only  substituting  the  word  church  for 
man.  The  soul  lost  is  confessed;  how  to  regain  it? 
or  "what  shall  we  give"  to  that  end?  is  the  question. 
Thank  God,  there  are  a  "few"  who  know  that  the 
church  soul  has  been  restored.  The  restitution  day 
has  dawned,  and  the  presence  of  "the  Spirit"  in  "the 
body"  is  being  manifested  by  unmistakable  signs, 
and  man,  made  alive  by  that  quickening  energy,  is 
able  to  communicate  with  God  and  Christ,  the  head 
of  the  body,  as  did  Enoch  and  Noah,  Abraham  and 
Moses,  Peter  and  Paul,  and  all  the  ancient  family 
of  God. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  143 


Apostasy  of  the  Ancient  Christian  Church. 


The  earth  also  is  defiled  under  the  inhabitants  thereof; 
because  they  have  transgressed  the  laws,  changed  the  ordi- 
nance, broken  the  everlasting  covenant.  Therefore  hath  the 
curse  devoured  the  earth,  and  they  that  dwell  therein  are 
desolate:  therefore  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  burned, 
and  few  men  left. — Isaiah  24 :  5,  6. 

That  there  has  been  a  terrible  apostasy  from  the 
gospel  and  church  of  the  New  Testament  is  every- 
where manifest.  Hundreds  of  churches  with  their 
conflicting  doctrines  bear  witness  of  this,  and  the 
absence  of  nearly  all  the  grander  and  more  dis- 
tinctive spiritual  characteristics  by  which  direct 
communion  with  God  was  demonstrated  is  unan- 
swerable evidence.  Then  it  was  "one  body,  and  one 
Spirit,  .  .  .  one  hope  .  .  .  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one 
baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all."  (Ephesians 
4:  4-6.)  What  is  it  now?  Multiplied  and  multiply- 
ing faiths,  with  gods  and  spirits  and  baptisms  and 
hopes  to  fit.  The  ancient  light  and  life  of  direct  reve- 
lation— the  Pentecostal  glory — only  a  thing  of  his- 
tory. 

The  boast  of  "reformation"  by  Protestants,  and 
the  chaos  or  bedlam  of  creeds  hatched  thereunder, 
together  with  the  picture  of  spiritual  desolation  (as 
compared  with  the  ancient  church)  which  their 


144  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

institutions  exhibit,  all  tell  that  they  themselves 
recognized  an  apostasy  under  Romanism,  and  that 
they  tried,  but  miserably  failed,  to  regain  the  lost 
inheritance  by  efforts  at  reform.  Romanism,  as  it 
has  been  and  now  is,  resembles  the  New  Testament 
church  and  faith  no  more  than  a  gorilla  resembles 
kan  angel. 

Yet,  in  the  face  of  these  facts,  there  are  to  be 
found  many  who  boldly  assert  that  the  church  and 
gospel  of  Christ  ha*  always  been  on  earth  since 
Pentecost.  Such  people  are  either  blind  to  the  evi- 
dences of  estrangement  and  alienation  and  dearth 
and  death  which  abound  in  their  present  environ- 
ment, or  have  never  read  intelligently  the  story  of 
the  Good  Book  as  to  what  characterized  the  organi- 
zation and  doctrine  and  experience  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  and  the  repeated  prophecies  of  its  decline 
and  apostasy. 

In  the  text  we  have  selected  it  is  stated  that  a 
state  of  defilement  and  desolation  is  to  abound,  and 
finally  a  destruction  by  fire  is  to  occur  as  a  penalty 
for  apostasy — for  having  "transgressed  the  laws, 
changed  the  ordinance,  broken  the  everlasting 
covenant." 

What  covenant  is  this?  Some  of  our  Adventist 
friends  tell  us  it  is  the  Mosiac  covenant,  but  surely 
they  are  mistaken.  You  may  search  into  the  details 
of  agreement  or  penalty  attaching  to  that  covenant, 
and  not  a  line  can  be  found  anywhere  to  indicate 
that  a  failure  to  abide  would  entail  any  such  a 
calamity  as  the  burning  of  the  earth  and  its  inhabit- 
ants. The  Lord  "sware  in  his  wrath  that  they 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  145 

should  not  enter  into  his  rest,"  because  of  their 
rebellion,  and  they  did  not.  "Their  carcasses  fell 
in  the  wilderness,"  and  under  their  law  the  curse  fol- 
lowed closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  transgression, 
as  a  rule;  yet  no  such  penalty  was  ever  threatened 
or  visited  as  is  here  declared.  Moreover,  the  burn- 
ing here  spoken  of  is  to  come  as  a  closing  of  the 
earth  program  in  its  present  condition.  Read  the 
entire  chapter,  and  especially  the  second  verse,  and 
see  that  an  entirely  new  order  is  to  be  established, 
when  priest  and  people,  rich  and  poor,  servant  and 
master,  maid  and  mistress,  will  all  be  on  a  level. 

The  gospel  covenant  was  evidently  referred  to  in 
our  text,  as  the  following  points  of  identity  will 
show:  First,  Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Hebrews  (see 
chapter  13,  verse  20)  refers  to  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  being  that  of  "the  everlasting  covenant." 
Next,  the  penalty  threatened  is  the  same,  as  the  fol- 
lowing reveals: 

And  to  you  who  are  troubled  rest  with  us,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  with  his  mighty  angels, 
in  flaming  fire  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God, 
and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. — 
2  Thessalonians  1:7,  8. 

This  second  epistle,  beloved,  I  now  write  unto  you;  in  both 
which  I  stir  up  your  pure  minds  by  way  of  remembrance; 
that  ye  may  be  mindful  of  the  words  which  were  spoken 
before  by  the  holy  prophets,  and  of  the  commandment  of  us 
the  apostles  of  the  Lord  and  Savior:  knowing  this  first, 
that  there  shall  come  in  the  last  days  scoffers,  walking  after 
their  own  lusts,  and  saying,  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things  con- 
tinue as  they  were  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation.  For 
this  they  willingly  are  ignorant  of,  that  by  the  word  of  God 


146  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

the  heavens  were  of  old,  and  the  earth  standing  out  of  the 
water  and  in  the  water:  whereby  the  world  that  then  was, 
being  overflowed  with  water,  perished:  but  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  which  are  now,  by  the  same  word  are  kept  in 
store,  reserved  unto  fire  against  the  day  of  judgment  and 
perdition  of  ungodly  men.  But,  beloved,  be  not  ignorant  of 
this  one  thing,  that  one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thou- 
sand years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day.  The  Lord 
is  not  slack  concerning  his  promise,  as  some  men  count  slack- 
ness; but  is  longsuffering  to  us-ward,  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance.  But 
the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night;  in 
the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise, 
and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth  also 
and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burnt  up.  Seeing 
then  that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  manner 
of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and  god- 
liness. Looking  for  and  hasting  unto  the  coming  of  the 
day  of  God,  wherein  the  heavens  being  on  fire  shall  be  dis- 
solved, and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat? 
Nevertheless  we,  according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness. — 
2  Peter  3 :  1-13. 

This  "flaming  fire"  visitation  is  to  occur  as  a 
penalty  for  refusal  to  "obey  .  .  .  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Peter  says  that  his  object  in  writing  his  epistles 
was  to  stir  up  their  minds  by  way  of  remembrance 
of  the  things  written  before  by  the  prophets  (our 
text  is  one  of  them)  and  the  commandments  of  the 
apostles.  Then,  in  doing  this,  he  tells  of  the  destruc- 
tion by  fire  that  is  to  befall  the  wicked,  and  almost 
quotes  the  words  of  Christ  as  to  his  coming  as  "a 
thief  in  the  night."  In  the  sixteenth  verse  of  this 
same  chapter  he  says  that  Paul  also  had  written  in 
his  epistles  of  these  things,  and  we  have  shown  that 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  1*47 

Paul  said  this  penalty  was  to  occur  because  the  peo- 
ple rejected  the  "gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
The  gospel  and  no  other  covenant  has  these  identifi- 
cation marks.  These  apostles  had  no  other  covenant 
to  publish  than  the  gospel ;  for  that,  and  that  alone, 
had  they  been  sent  to  preach. 

Having  found  the  covenant  referred  to  in  the 
text,  let  us  note  that  the  prophecy  is  clear  in  stating 
that  it  would  be  broken,  the  ordinance  changed,  and 
the  laws  transgressed.  Let  us  examine  that  cove- 
nant briefly,  and  note  its  character,  chief  ordi- 
nance, and  confirmatory  signs: 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and 
is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned.  And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe; 
in  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak 
with  new  tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they 
drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall 
lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover. — Mark 
16:15-18. 

Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you:  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world.  Amen. — Matthew  28 :  19,  20. 

That  this  was  a  spiritual  covenant  is  clear.  Its 
obligations  and  ordinance  and  confirmations  all 
attest  this.  Baptism  was  to  be  the  ordinance  by 
which  the  acceptance  of  it  was  to  be  openly  con- 
fessed by  the  people,  and  the  signs  promised  were 
to  be  granted  of  God  in  confirmation,  or  as  tokens 
of  his  approval.  These  belonged  to  this  life,  and 
were  to  continue  to  the  end  of  the  world,  upon  the 


148  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

condition  of  observance  of  all  things  commanded. 
If  this  was  the  program  of  agreement  or  covenant, 
then  it  follows  that  when  the  party  of  the  second 
part  failed  to  honor  the  conditions,  the  party  of  the 
first  part  would  be  released  from  all  obligation  to 
furnish  the  "signs" — the  tokens  of  acceptance,  and 
those  things  would  cease,  because  the  covenant  had 
been  made  void  or  inoperative  by  transgression, 
disobedience,  or  some  unwarranted  procedure.  The 
absence  of  these  spiritual  blessings  would  indicate 
God's  withdrawal  or  refusal  to  recognize  further 
transactions,  and  the  church  estate  would  become 
barren — the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  would  become 
"desolate,"  and  the  way  be  prepared  for  the  final 
penalty.  Our  text  predicts  all  this  as  a  condition 
to  come  subsequent  to  the  day  of  its  writing;  and 
history  and  present  conditions  reveal  an  accurate 
fulfillment.  The  "faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints" 
has  been  abandoned,  its  laws  transgressed,  as  our 
other  sermons  point  out;  its  ordinance  of  baptism 
has  been  changed  until,  instead  of  its  being  observed 
as  commanded  "for  the  washing  away  of  sins" 
(Acts  22:  16;  2:  38),  for  entrance  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  (see  John  3:5),  it  is  made  subject  to  the 
wish  or  will  of  the  populace  without  any  specific 
object  except  to  dodge  conscience.  Instead  of  its 
being  performed  by  immersion  or  in  likeness  of  a 
burial  (see  Mark  1:  10;  Acts  8:  38,  39;  Colossians 
2:  12;  Romans  6:  3,  4),  it  is  performed  in  any  way 
the  candidate  may  desire — by  aspersion  or  effusion, 
if  immersion  is  not  preferred;  and  instead  of  the 
right  to  administer  the  ordinance  being  confined 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  149 

to  ministers  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron  (see 
Hebrews  5:4),  it  is  being  attempted  by  men  who 
do  not  even  believe  that  God  does  or  will  call  men 
to-day  as  of  old.  Surely  this  is  a  change  from  the 
old  order.  "They  have  changed  the  ordinance." 
Hence  "the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  desolate"; 
they  are  without  the  promised  evidences  of  con- 
firmation— the  signs  which  were  to  follow  the 
believer. 

We  are  not  left  to  depend  upon  Isaiah's  testimony 
as  to  this  terrible  apostasy.  The  apostles  foretold 
its  approach  in  vivid  and  unmistakable  language, 
as  the  following  will  prove : 

Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock, 
over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers,  to 
feed  the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his 
own  blood.  For  I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing  shall 
grievous  wolves  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock. 
Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking  perverse 
things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them. — Acts  20 :  28-30. 

That  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  or  be  troubled,  neither 
by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by  letter  as  from  us,  as  that 
the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by 
any  means;  for  that  day  shall  not  come,  except  there  come 
a  falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the 
son  of  perdition. — 2  Thessalonians  2:2,  3. 

This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall 
come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous, 
boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient  to  parents,  unthank- 
ful, unholy,  without  natural  affection,  truce-breakers,  false 
accusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are 
good,  traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasures  more 
than  lovers  of  God;  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  deny- 
ing the  power  thereof:  from  such  turn  away. — 2  Timothy 
3:  1-5. 

For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  not  endure  sound 


150  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

doctrine;  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap  to  them- 
selves teachers,  having  itching  ears;  and  they  shall  turn 
away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be  turned  unto 
fables.— 2  Timothy  4:3,  4. 

But  there  were  false  prophets  also  among  the  peor  even 
as  there  shall  be  false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily  shall 
bring  in  damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that 
bought  them,  and  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction. 
And  many  shall  follow  their  pernicious  ways;  by  reason  of 
whom  the  way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of.  And  through 
covetousness  shall  they  with  feigned  words  make  merchan- 
dise of  you:  whose  judgment  now  of  a  long  time  lingereth 
not,  and  their  damnation  slumbereth  not. — 2  Peter  2 :  1-3. 

This  apostasy  began  even  in  the  apostles'  day,  for 
in  his  letter  to  the  Galatians  he  expressed  his  aston- 
ishment that  they  had  so  soon  removed  from  their 
gospel  integrity  (see  chapter  1,  verses  6  and  7), 
and  in  his  letter  to  the  Thessalonians  he  declared 
that  the  "mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work." 
(2  Thessalonians  2:  7.) 

Did  space  permit,  we  might  fittingly  introduce 
here  the  testimony  of  the  several  reformers  as  to 
the  fulfillment  of  these  remarkable  prophecies,  and 
show  that  the  words  of  the  prophets  referring  to 
the  spiritual  estate  of  the  world  are  vindicated : 

Behold,  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  dark- 
ness the  people. — Isaiah  60 :  2. 

Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord  God,  that  I  will 
send  a  famine  in  the  land;  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a 
thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord:  and 
they  shall  wander  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  north  even 
to  the  east,  they  shall  run  to  and  fro  to  seek  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  shall  not  find  it. — Amos  8:  11,  12. 

Where  is  there  a  person  to  be  found  within  the 
circles  of  Christendom  to-day  who  does  not  know 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  151 

that  all  this  has  come  to  pass?  The  almost  uni- 
versal admission  of  popular  churches  is  that  God 
has  not  spoken  to  man  directly  for  nearly  two  thou- 
sand years.  Is  not  this  an  admission  of  desolation? 
A  church  without  communion  with  its  confessed 
head!  Not  a  word  from  heaven  for  nineteen  cen- 
turies, and  yet  men  pretending  to  have  authority 
to  be  agents  for  God  and  Christ!  What  a  travesty 
on  reason!  What  a  blasphemy,  if  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  what  is  purports  to  be ! — a  revelation  of  the 
will,  way,  and  truth  of  the  unchangeable  God,  and 
his  Son,  who  is  "the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
for  ever." 

Mosheim,  the  historian,  in  his  writing  on  the  first 
century,  says: 

The  Christian  church  was  scarcely  formed  when,  in  dif- 
ferent places,  there  started  up  several  pretended  reformers, 
who,  not  satisfied  with  the  simplicity  of  that  religion  that 
was  taught  by  the  apostles,  meditated  changes  of  doctrine 
and  worship. — Verse  1,  chapter  5,  part  2. 

Then  follows  in  the  succeeding  verses  a  mention 
of  the  Gnostics,  Nicolaitans,  and  others  who  figured 
in  the  ignoble  work  of  corrupting  the  pure  faith. 
Each  century  brought  forth  additional  philosophies 
and  interwove  them  with  the  remnants  of  the  old 
faith  until,  at  the  close  of  the  fourth  century,  he 
says,  "there  remained  no  more  than  a  shadow  of  the 
ancient  government  of  the  church."  (Verse  2, 
chapter  2,  part  1.)  And  so  it  continued,  step  by 
step,  till  the  culmination  of  later  centuries,  when 
men  were  startled  by  the  horrors  of  the  situation, 
and  the  tocsin  of  "Reformation"  was  sounded. 
In  its  homily  on  "The  perils  of  idolatry,"  the 


152  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

church  of  England  says  that  "laity  and  clergy, 
learned  and  unlearned,  men  and  women,  and  chil- 
dren of  all  ages,  sects,  and  degrees,  of  whole 
Christendom,  have  been  at  once  buried  in  the  most 
abominable  idolatry  (a  most  dreadful  thing  to 
think) ,  and  that  for  the  space  of  eight  hundred  years 
or  more." 

Wesley,  in  his  ninety-fourth  sermon,  says  that 
the  real  cause  why  the  extraordinary  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  were  no  longer  to  be  found  in  the 
Christian  church,  was  because  the  Christians  had 
turned  heathens  again  and  had  "only  a  dead  form 
left."  He  also  writes  elaborately  in  his  notes  on  the 
New  Testament  regarding  the  meaning  and  fulfill- 
ment of  such  passages  as  we  have  here  presented. 
He  also  offers  the  following  regarding  the  similar- 
ity of  conditions  in  the  third  century  to  those  under 
the  Reformation: 

Cyprian,  bishop  of  Carthage  in  the  third  century,  gives 
an  account  of  his  time,  which  in  reading  one  would  be  apt 
to  imagine  was  concerning  the  present  century,  so  totally  void 
of  true  religion  that  the  Christians  of  Africa  were  exactly 
like  the  Christians  of  England  to-day.  The  converts  prac- 
ticed all  kinds  of  abominations  exactly  as  they  did  before 
conversion,  in  no  way  differing  in  their  tempers  and  in  their 
lives.  ...  A  Christian  nation,  a  Christian  city  (accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  pattern) ,  was  no  longer  to  be  found.  Has 
the  case  altered  since  the  Reformation?  How  little  are  any 
of  those  reformed  Christians  better  than  the  heathen!  Have 
they  more  (I  will  not  say  communion  with  God — although 
there  is  no  Christianity  without  it),  but  have  they  more 
justice,  mercy,  and  truth  than  the  inhabitants  of  China  and 
Hindustan?  I  doubt  whether  you  ever  knew  a  Christian  in 
your  life;  I  believe  that  you  never  did,  and  perhaps  you 
never  will;  for  you  will  not  find  them  in  the  great  and  gay 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  153 

world;  and  none  are  Christians  but  they  that  walk  as 
Christ  walked;  though  they  are  called  Christians,  yet  they 
are  as  far  from  it  as  hell  is  from  heaven. 

Others,  including  Alexander  Campbell,  wrote 
almost  as  strongly,  and  fully  as  pointedly  regarding 
the  conditions  of  Christendom  under  the  Reforma- 
tion. To  them  apostasy  was  written  everywhere, 
and  although  they  earnestly  tried  in  their  turn  to 
reform,  they  never  restored  nor  were  instrumental 
in  restoring  the  ancient  church  and  doctrine.  God 
had  reserved  it  for  others  at  another  time  to  per- 
form that  work.  Our  text  leaves  the  inference, 
justifiable,  that  a  restoration  day  would  come,  in 
that  it  announces  that  though  the  earth  would  be 
destroyed  by  fire  after  its  long  day  of  spiritual 
desolation,  a  "few  men"  would  be  "left." 

The  gospel  covenant  is  the  only  one  that  saves: 
hence,  if  it  was  broken,  and  the  world's  destruction 
by  fire  is  the  penalty,  it  follows  that  at  some  period 
prior  to  the  time  of  destruction  that  covenant  must 
be  renewed,  otherwise  there  would  be  no  deliver- 
ance even  for  a  "few."  No  covenant  can  be  entered 
into  without  communication  between  the  parties 
thereto;  hence  there  is  warrant  in  our  text  for  the 
belief  that  God,  as  the  first  party,  would  be  heard 
from  again,  renewing  the  covenant  with  man,  and 
giving  opportunity  for  escape  from  the  threatened 
doom.  We  leave  the  clearer  evidences  of  this  fact 
to  be  employed  in  another  discourse,  and  content 
ourselves  with  having  herein  proved  that  an 
apostasy  was  predicted  by  God's  messengers,  and 
has  occurred  before  our  eyes. 


154  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Restoration  of  the  Gospel. 


I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the 
everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the 
earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory 
to  him;  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come. — Revelation 
14:6,  7. 

The  book  of  Revelation,  from  which  this  text  is 
selected,  opens  up  with  a  message  to  the  seven 
churches,  in  which  each  one  in  turn  is  advised, 
admonished,  or  rebuked,  and  a  picture  is  drawn  of 
their  condition,  which  tells  that  some  had  "fallen 
from  their  first  love,"  had  imbibed  false  doctrines, 
become  immoral,  idolatrous,  lukewarm,  dead. 
Exceptions  are  noted  and  commended.  With  these 
items,  however,  we  have  nothing  to  do  in  this  dis- 
course, except  to  present  them  as  evidence  that  the 
great  apostasy,  of  which  we  have  before  spoken, 
had  already  begun,  and  as  an  introduction  to  what 
follows. 

In  the  twelfth  chapter  the  church  is  represented 
as  a  woman,  with  her  apostolic  crown  of  twelve 
stars,  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  with  the  sun  as 
her  clothing.  She  gives  birth  to  a  child,  which  is 
taken  from  her  to  God,  and  she  is  compelled  to  flee 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  155 

into  the  wilderness,  where  she  remains  for  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty  days  (years,  according  to 
another  translation,  which  is  evidently  correct). 
This  flight,  whenever  occurring,  left  the  world  with- 
out the  church  of  Christ.  The  man  child  born  of 
the  woman  while  in  her  condition  of  fidelity  as  the 
"Lamb's  wife"  to  her  lawful  husband— "the  Lamb," 
must  represent  the  offspring  of  the  holy  union 
between  Christ  and  his  church — the  heirship  or 
right  to  represent  him — the  authority  or  power  to 
rule  in  his  name.  This  was  taken  to  God,  as  we  have 
seen,  before  the  disintegration  of  the  church,  or  its 
flight  into  the  wilderness,  so  that  whatever  it 
implied,  as  the  Christ  development  within  the 
church,  it  too  was  lost  to  the  world.  Hence  no 
church  of  Christ  and  no  administrative  right  to 
"rule"  or  order  the  affairs  of  his  government 
remained. 

Quite  a  period  elapsed  (evidently  stretching  out 
through  the  1260  years),  in  which  powers,  repre- 
sented as  the  "serpent,"  the  "dragon,"  "the  beast," 
and  "another  beast,"  had  their  day  and  did  their 
work  in  destroying  the  saints  and  bringing  the  world 
into  bondage;  and  finally  a  new  picture  appeared 
upon  the  panoramic  canvas,  as  the  Spirit  caused 
it  to  pass  before  the  vision  of  the  apostle.  That  pic- 
ture represented  the  rifting  of  the  cloud  that  for 
those  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  had  overcast 
the  world.  It  was  to  introduce  the  beginning  of 
the  end  of  the  reign  of  ignorance,  intolerance,  and 
priestcraft.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  "mar- 
velous worjc  and  a  wonder"  which  God,  through 


156  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Isaiah  (see  chapter  29,  verse  14),  said  he  would 
proceed  to  do  when  his  set  time  had  come,  when 
the  people's  hearts  were  removed  far  from  him, 
and  their  fear  was  being  "taught  by  the  precepts 
of  men"  instead,  as  formerly,  by  the  revelations  of 
God.  (See  verse  13.)  It  was  the  inauguration  of 
that  grand  and  eventful  movement  which  was  to  be 
known  as  "the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times." 
(Ephesians  1:10.)  It  was  the  announcement  of 
the  "eleventh  hour" — one  hour  before  the  final  judg- 
ment of  the  world.  It  was  the  "sign"  of  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  It  was  the  unmistakable  proof 
that  God  is  unchangeable  and  impartial,  and  that 
having  introduced  all  other  dispensations  by  angel 
messengers  and  a  proclamation  of  good  tidings  by 
revelation,  he  would  not  vary  therefrom  in  open- 
ing up  what  was  to  be  the  final  dispensation.  It 
was  the  intimation  that  the  "time  of  the  Gentiles" 
was  fulfilled. 

That  glorious  tableau  which  John  there  gazed 
upon,  is  what  our  text  directs  attention  to  as  a 
subject  for  this  discourse.  An  angel,  commissioned 
of  God  to  fly  to  earth  with  the  "everlasting  gospel" 
to  preach  to  all  peoples  dwelling  thereupon,  and  to 
announce  the  nearness  of  the  hour  of  judgment. 

In  this  revelation  itself  is  an  unmistakable  inti- 
mation of  the  world's  spiritual  desolation,  as  no 
such  commission  would  ever  be  given  an  angel  if 
the  gospel  essential  to  human  redemption  were  at 
that  time  among  the  people. 

God  had  said  that  he  would  put  forth  his  hand 
again  the  second  time  to  recover  the  remnant  of  his 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  157 

people  (Isaiah  11:  11),  and  the  time  had  come.  It 
was  his  hand — his  appointment — his  angel — that 
John  saw.  It  was  the  call — the  final  call — unto  all 
men  to  gather  out  of  the  Babylon  of  religious  "isms" 
created  in  what  was  called  human  "wisdom,"  and 
to  rally  around  the  divine  standard,  and  enjoy  a 
restoration  of  the  former  or  ancient  glory,  and  to 
escape  the  approaching  calamity  of  the  world. 

The  vision  has  had  its  fulfillment.  The  church 
was  on  earth  with  the  twelve  apostles  at  its  head, 
the  Mosaic  economy  under  its  feet,  the  gospel  (sun) 
glory  enmantling  and  permeating  it.  The  man 
child  (authority  to  rule  and  administer)  was  taken 
away  from  that  church,  and  that  church  did  go 
back  into  the  wilderness  from  which  it  had  been 
taken.  It  fell,  as  our  discourse  on  the  "Apostasy" 
has  shown.  A  long  period  since  the  last  vestige  of 
that  church  had  place  on  earth  has  elapsed  and  the 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  have  ended.  The 
angel  with  the  "everlasting  gospel  to  preach"  has 
filled  his  mission,  and  there  is  a  church,  organized 
as  of  old,  with  apostles,  prophets,  etc.,  on  earth 
to-day,  in  consequence,  which  preaches  by  authority 
of  the  "man  child"  recommitted — by  authority  of 
God  conveyed  through  that  angel ;  the  old  Jerusalem 
gospel,  whicn  has  been  and  is  being  confirmed  by 
the  signs  promised  in  the  first  apostolic  commission. 
(See  Mark  16:15-18.)  Multiplied  thousands  of 
persons  can  testify  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  these 
assertions,  and  many,  many  thousands  of  miraculous 
ministrations  divine  have  placed  seal  upon  the 
covenant  renewed  between  God  and  man. 


158  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

When  the  disciples  01  old  heard  the  Master  tell 
of  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  and 
of  his  departure  and  return,  they  asked  him: 
"When  shall  these  things  be?  and  what  shall  be  the 
sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world?" — 
Matthew  24 :  3. 

His  answer  told  of  nations  and  kingdoms  in  com- 
motion ;  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars ;  of  persecution 
of  the  saints,  and  martyrdom ;  of  false  brethren  and 
betrayers  amongst  themselves ;  of  false  prophets  and 
deceivers ;  of  the  waning  love  of  many  because  of 
the  prevalence  of  iniquity;  and  of  the  great  need 
of  patient  endurance  to  the  end.  Then  came  the 
crowning  sign  in  the  words : 

And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all 
the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall 
the  end  come. — Matthew  24:  14. 

Note  the  language,  "this  gospel  of  the  kingdom," 
being  preached  after  the  long  lapse  of  years  in  which 
the  above  conditions  among  nations  and  saints  are 
to  figure,  is  to  be  a  sign  that  the  end  is  near  and 
Jesus  is  coming  again.  Paul  said  (see  Galatians 
1:8)  that  even  an  angel  from  heaven  would  be 
accursed  if  he  preached  any  other  gospel  than  he  had 
preached.  He  had  preached  only  "this"  gospel — 
this  "everlasting  gospel"  of  the  kingdom.  John 
wrote  substantially  that  both  God  and  Christ  were 
in  the  doctrine  he  preached,  and  warned  the  saints 
against  any  other,  and  further  said  that  we  would 
be  partakers  of  the  evil  deeds  of  the  guilty  one  if 
we  should  welcome  any  as  God's  ministers  who 
should  bring  any  other  than  "this  doctrine."  (2 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  159 

John  9-11.)  "This"  doctrine  of  John  was  the  same 
as  "this"  gospel  of  Jesus,  for  he  received  it  of  Jesus. 
Evidently  God  or  Jesus  inspired  Paul  and  John  to 
write  thus,  hence  it  is  certain  that  they  would  never 
send  an  angel  with  any  other  gospel.  And  if  they 
did,  it  could  not  fill  the  mission  of  a  "sign"  of  the 
second  coming  of  Jesus,  as  above  indicated.  Note 
further : 

Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig-tree:  When  his  branch 
is  yet  tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  sum- 
mer is  nigh:  so  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these 
things,  know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the  doors. — Matthew 
24:32,  33. 

How  significant  this  is  as  an  illustration!  The 
preaching  of  "this"  gospel  is  to  be  a  sign  of  the 
end,  just  as  the  appearing  of  the  leaves  on  the  fig- 
tree  was  to  be  a  sign  of  the  approach  of  summer.  If 
the  leaves  never  fell  off  the  fig-tree  from  year  to 
year,  their  presence  would  not  indicate  the  approach 
of  summer  more  than  winter;  but  if,  after  falling 
off,  and  an  interval  when  the  tree  was  barren  of 
foliage,  they  should  again  appear,  then  they  serve 
as  a  sign. 

If,  from  the  day  when  Jesus  uttered  the  word 
given  above,  there  should  be  no  cessation  of  gospel 
preaching  throughout  the  world's  life — no  interval 
of  desolation  or  barrenness,  no  absence  of  the  gos- 
pel— how  could  the  preaching  of  "this"  gospel  be  a 
sign  to  the  world  of  its  approaching  end?  Jesus 
knew  of  the  terrible  apostasy  to  come,  and  told  them 
of  it  in  the  same  conversation.  Deceivers  were  to 
abound,  and  men  were  to  arise  everywhere  teach- 
ing conflicting  faiths,  and  crying,  "Lo,  here  is 


160  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Christ,  or,  there!"  but  none  of  these  were  to  offer 
the  old  doctrine  which  had  pealed  from  the  Savior's 
and  his  disciples'  lips  over  the  hills  and  vales  of 
Judea.  But  when  the  set  time  had  come — the 
chosen  time — God  was  to  send  his  angel  with — not 
a  new  message,  but  the  "everlasting  gospel" — "this" 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  by  its  appearance  and 
proclamation  notice  was  to  be  served  on  the  world 
that  the  end  was  near. 

The  curse  put  upon  Jerusalem  had  its  limitation, 
"until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled."  (Luke 
21 :  24.)  The  Jews  had  abused  their  opportunity 
and  rejected  the  message  of  life;  hence  the  apostles 
turned  to  the  Gentiles.  (See  Acts  13:46.)  The 
Lord  commanded  them  to  do  so.  (See  verse  47.) 
The  Gentiles  were  to  have  their  day  of  opportunity, 
and  not  till  their  "times  were  fulfilled"  was  the 
curse  upon  the  Jew  to  be  removed. 

In  Matthew  20 :  16  we  are  told  that  the  "last  shall 
be  first  and  the  first  last."  The  "eleventh-hour" 
laborers  were  the  last  called,  but  come  first  to  judg- 
ment and  reward.  The  ninth  hour  call  in  Christ's 
day  came  by  way  of  the  Jews.  The  "eleventh  hour" 
is  to  come  by  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  when  their 
day  is  ended — their  cup  is  full — the  Jew  is  to  come 
again  into  prominence  and  honor;  his  land  is  to  be 
released  from  its  curse,  and  all  the  glory  of  their 
former  inheritance  is  to  be  restored. 

This  "eleventh  hour"  is  identical  with  the  time 
of  the  appearance  of  the  angel  of  our  text — just 
before  the  end,  or  the  judgment;  hence  it  is  the  call 
to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  (See  Matthew 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  161 

22:8,  9;  Revelation  19:9.)  It  is  the  ensign  of 
Isaiah  18:3;  11:12.  It  is  the  renewal  of  the 
covenant,  formerly  broken,  by  which  the  "few"  will 
be  saved  in  the  day  of  burning.  (See  Isaiah  24:  6.) 

Such,  briefly  presented,  is  our  story  as  we  have 
been  authorized  to  tell  it  to  all  men,  and  to  which 
our  testimony  as  to  its  truth  is  added. 

There  are  many  scriptural  evidences  bearing 
upon  this  subject  which  we  withhold  here,  intend- 
ing to  use  them  in  another  discourse,  where  they 
will  be  equally  applicable.  Before  concluding,  we 
may,  with  propriety,  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
this  "everlasting  gospel"  carries  with  it  all  the 
marks  in  authority,  history,  church  organization, 
doctrine,  law  of  initiation,  and  rules  for  govern- 
ment of  those  accepting  it,  spiritual  endowment  and 
manifestation  of  gifts  that  characterized  its  exist- 
ence and  operation  when  it  was  upon  earth  in  the 
New  Testament  days;  and  with  its  introduction  by 
the  angel  who  delivered  it  to  Joseph  Smith  in  1827, 
came  the  authority  to  repeat  the  promise  of  Jesus 
Christ  recorded  in  John  7 :  17 :  "If  any  man  will  do 
his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether 
it  be  of  God  or  whether  I  [we]  speak  of  myself  [our- 
selves] ." 

Thus  it  can  be  easily  identified  and  tested.  It 
asks  no  surrender  of  virtue  or  principle  of  good, 
but  seeks  to  give  men  and  women  a  better  intro- 
duction to  Jesus  and  his  Father  than  is  in  the  power 
of  human  creeds  to  do.  It  brings  the  Holy  Spirit, 
with  all  the  power  and  promise  that  God  endowed 
its  mission  with,  to  your  door.  It  points  you  to  the 


162  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

record  of  that  Spirit's  work  found  in  the  sacred 
book,  and  tells  you  that  it  waits  upon  your  obedi- 
ence to  make  your  character  its  workshop  and  to 
endow  you  with  similar  good — even  the  best  that 
God  has  got.  It  unravels  the  mysteries,  solves  the 
problems,  and  dispels  the  doubt-begetting  shades 
that,  without  it  as  a  key,  hang  around  the  book  of 
God.  It  puts  the  knowledge  of  its  divinity  and 
truth  beneath  your  feet  and  makes  you  feel  your 
soul-footing  to  be  as  firm  as  the  throne  of  Jehovah. 
It  puts  you  in  touch  with  the  patriarchs  and 
prophets,  the  apostles  and  holy  men  of  old,  and 
includes  you  in  the  love  and  fellowship  of  "the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints."  It  puts  you  in  com- 
munion with  heaven,  and  enrolls  your  name  with 
the  sanctified.  It  not  only  tells  you  that  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead  is  a  truth,  but  puts  the  cer- 
tifying evidence  of  that  fact  within  your  heart,  and 
makes  you  a  willing  witness  of  what  you  thus  know. 
It  brings  the  fountain  of  life  within  your  easy  reach, 
and  bids  you  freely  drink  and  live  for  ever.  It  lifts 
you  from  the  estate  of  self  and  sin  by  your  coopera- 
tion, and  from  the  mystifying  fog  and  bewildering 
smoke  of  sectism,  skepticism,  and  fear,  and  enables 
you  to  walk  on  the  clear  highway  of  holiness  as 
sons  and  daughters  of  God,  invested  with  an  abiding 
testimony  of  his  fatherhood  and  your  eternal  safety 
as  children.  It  is  the  everlasting  channel  through, 
which  flows  all  the  treasures  of  his  grace  to  bless 
and  crown  the  estate  of  man.  Its  mission  extends 
from  the  fall  of  Adam  to  the  final  consummation 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  163 

of  the  God  purpose,  and  under  its  banner  the  hosts 
of  earth's  redeemed  will  march  together  to  be  wel- 
comed at  the  gates  of  the  eternal  city  by  him  whose 
blood  has  sealed  it  to  their  eternal  exaltation  as  the 
saints  of  God. 


164  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Antiquity  of  Christianity. 

THE  GOSPEL  BEFORE  THE  LAW  OF  MOSES. 


Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  master 
of  Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things? — John  3:10. 

Earnestly  contend  for  the  faith  which  was  once  delivered 
unto  the  saints. — Jude  3. 

Did  the  gospel  precede  the  law  of  Moses?  Popu- 
lar opinion  says,  No.  My  sermon  heading  says,  Yes. 
What  does  the  Bible  say?  Let  God  be  true,  what- 
ever becomes  of  our  opinions.  In  this  discourse  the 
subject  will  be  dealt  with  directly  and  pointedly, 
though  briefly. 

In  the  several  verses  preceding  our  first  text,  the 
doctrine  of  the  "kingdom  of  God,"  the  necessity  of 
being  "born  again,"  and  the  fact  of  "the  water  and 
the  Spirit"  being  essential  elements  in  that  birth 
and  unto  admission  into  that  kingdom,  are  clearly 
set  forth.  Jesus  himself  was  the  teacher,  and 
when  Nicodemus,  the  hearer,  inquired  how  such 
things  could  be,  the  rejoinder  of  the  Savior  was 
made  in  the  words  of  our  text :  "Art  thou  a  master 
of  Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things?" 

"These  things"  referred  to  were  distinctly  gospel 
doctrines,  and  yet  Jesus  expressed  surprise,  seem- 
ingly, that  this  "master  of  Israel" — this  man  who 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  165 

was  supposed  to  be  versed  in  the  law  and  history  of 
his  people. — should  be  ignorant  regarding  them. 
This  is  incomprehensible,  except  under  the  idea  that 
the  gospel  had  existed  with  Israel  before  the 
Savior's  day  in  the  flesh,  and  its  record  had  been 
accessible  to  those,  at  least,  who  were  teachers,  or 
"masters." 

Let  us  examine  the  record  for  further  evidence 
and  more  direct  proof  of  what  we  have  assumed. 

In  John  4 :  38  Jesus  is  represented  as  saying  to 
his  disciples:  "I  sent  you  to  reap  that  whereon  ye 
bestowed  no  labor:  other  men  labored  and  ye  are 
entered  into  their  labors/'  From  the  verses  pre- 
ceding we  learn  that  it  was  gospel  labor,  bringing 
"eternal  life"  as  its  reward,  that  was  referred  to, 
and  that  the  "sowers"  and  the  "reapers"  are  to 
rejoice  together  some  day.  Now,  the  question  is 
here  pertinent,  "If  these  disciples  whom  Jesus  here 
sent  out  were  to  be  reapers  of  other  men's  gospel 
sowing,  who  were  the  sowers  and  when  did  they 
labor?"  Let  us  try  to  locate  a  few  of  them  at  least. 

First,  let  us  note  in  Galatians  1:8,  9,  as  we  pro- 
ceed, that  no  other  gospel  than  that  which  Paul 
preached  can  be  accepted,  for  all  others  are  placed 
under  a  ban  or  curse.  By  this  we  will  be  better  able 
to  understand  Paul  when  he,  in  other  places,  refers 
to  the  gospel.  We  might,  without  deviation,  here 
interpret  Genesis  3:  15  to  mean  that  Christ,  as  the 
"seed"  of  the  "woman,"  would  yet  "bruise"  the 
"head"  of  the  "serpent,"  the  Devil,  and  thus  claim 
that  the  gospel  was  indirectly  referred  to  at  the  very 
morn  of  creation.  We  might  also,  with  profit,  read 


166  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Hebrews  11 :  5,  6,  and  note  that  Enoch,  the  seventh 
from  Adam,  by  faith,  pleased  God,  and  by  reference 
to  Paul's  various  letters  learn  that  his  use  of  the 
word  faith  was  as  a  saving  or  gospel  principle; 
but  we  will  not  rest  with  inferences,  for  there  are 
plenty  of  positive  and  unmistakable  texts  at  hand. 

From  2  Peter  2 :  5  we  learn  that  Noah  was  a 
' 'preacher  of  righteousness,"  and  from  Romans 
1 :  16,  17  we  learn  that  "righteousness"  is  "revealed" 
in  the  gospel.  Hence  we  conclude  that  Noah 
preached  what  was  "revealed"  to  him  in  the  gospel, 
or  was  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  Add  to  this  evi- 
dence the  fact  gleaned  from  1  Peter  3 :  13-20 — 
namely,  that  Jesus,  subsequent  to  his  death  in  the 
flesh,  went  and  preached  to  the  "spirits  in  prison," 
who  were  once  disobedient  in  the  days  of  Noah. 
This  is  strongly  corroborative,  for  they  could  not 
be  "disobedient"  to  God  unless  God  had  asked  them 
to  obey  something,  and  if  God  sent  Noah  to  preach 
righteousness,  then  that  preaching  must  have 
enjoined  obedience  to  something — evidently  the 
gospel.  Romans  10 :  15  asks,  "How  shall  they 
preach,  except  they  be  sent?"  and  this,  with  Gala- 
tians  1:8,  9,  clinches  the  argumentative  rivet,  and 
holds  our  faith  to  the  fact  that  Noah  preached  Christ 
and  his  gospel. 

Next,  we  introduce  Abraham.  In  Galatians  3 :  8 
we  read: 

And  the  scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the 
heathen  through  faith,  preached  before  the  gospel  unto 
Abraham,  saying,  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed. 

What  gospel?    Evidently  the  gospel  of  Christ,  for 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  167 

all  others  were  barred,  as  above  shown;  but  read 
further,  to  make  ourselves  sure : 

Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law  [of 
Moses,  evidently],  being  made  a  curse  for  us:  for  it  is 
written,  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree. — Gala- 
tians  3 :  13. 

But  what  was  the  design  of  this?    Read  further: 

That  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gentiles 
through  Jesus  Christ:  that  we  might  receive  the  promise  of 
the  Spirit  through  faith. — Galatians  3:  14. 

Does  this  not  identify  it  as  Christ's  gospel  ?  Read 
again : 

Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  promises  made. 
He  saith  not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many;  but  as  of  one,  And 
to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ.  And  this  I  say,  that  the 
covenant,  that  was  confirmed  before  of  God  in  Christ,  the 
law,  which  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  after,  can  not 
disannul,  that  it  should  make  the  promise  of  none  effect. — 
Galatians  3 :  16,  17. 

Is  not  this  conclusive?  This  covenant — this  gos- 
pel— was  confirmed  in  Christ  unto  Abraham  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years  before  the  law  of  Moses 
was  given.  Thus  we  see  why  Christ  endured  the 
curse,  as  above  stated:  "That  the  blessing  of 
Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gentiles  through  Jesus 
Christ:  that  we  might  receive  the  promise  of  the 
Spirit  through  faith." 

But  you  ask:  "Why  was  the  law  of  Moses  ever 
given,  then?  Let  the  same  apostle  answer:  "It 
was  added  because  of  transgression."  (Verse  19.) 
Added  to  what  ?  Because  of  transgression  of  what  ? 
Evidently  the  covenant — the  gospel  which  preceded 
it.  It  was  a  law  of  carnal  commandments  given  to 


168  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

a  carnal  people  who  would  not  live  by  faith.  It  was 
the  penitentiary  created  for  them  because  they 
proved  themselves  law-breakers  and  unworthy  of 
gospel  liberty. 

Read  carefully  Galatians  4 :  21-31  and  5 :  1,  and 
get  the  meaning  of  that  remarkable  "allegory,"  and 
you  will  agree  with  me,  I  think,  that  if  Abraham 
and  Sarah  had  believed  God  as  fully  as  they  ought, 
they  would  have  waited  on  his  promise  till  Isaac  was 
born  of  Sarah,  and  Hagar  would  not  have  been 
heard  of  in  the  Scriptures,  and  Ishmael  would  never 
have  been  born.  Ishmael  was  the  offspring  of 
Abraham's  unbelief. 

Thus  in  the  application,  according  to  the  allegory, 
where  Isaac  answers  to  the  gospel — the  child  or 
covenant  of  promise — and  Hagar  answers  to  Mount 
Sinai,  it  is  made  clear  that  if  the  ancients  had 
proved  faithful  under  the  gospel  covenant,  we  would 
never  have  heard  of  Sinai,  and  its  offspring  (the  law 
of  Moses)  would  never  have  been  born.  It  was  the 
offspring  of  unbelief — "added  because  of  transgres- 
sion/' till  the  seed — Christ — should  come — then, 
like  Hagar  and  Ishmael,  to  be  cast  out  and  never 
named  with  the  true  covenant,  the  gospel. 

Let  me  now  introduce  Moses  as  one  under  the  gos- 
pel. Of  him  it  is  written  in  Hebrews  11 :  25,  26 : 

Choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God. 
than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season;  esteeming 
the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  in 
Egypt. 

Thus  you  see,  not  only  did  he  know  Christ  in  his 
day,  but  it  was  a  reproach  to  follow  him ;  yet  Moses 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  169 

preferred  it  to  life  in  an  Egyptian  court,  hence  he 
followed  Christ. 

Next  read  Hebrews  3:  16-19  and  4:  1,  2,  and  you 
will  find  a  confirmation  of  the  foregoing  affirma- 
tions— viz,  that  the  Hebrews  had  their  wilderness 
experience  and  suffered  their  loss  of  promised  good 
because  of  unbelief  and  disobedience,  and  that  the 
gospel  was  preached  to  them  is  clear  from  the  last 
verse  referred  to,  for  there  it  is  written : 

For  unto  us  was  the  gospel  preached,  as  well  as  unto  them: 
but  the  word  preached  did  not  profit  them,  not  being  mixed 
with  faith  in  them  that  heard  it. 

If  anything  further  is  necessary  to  render  our 
conclusion  absolutely  certain,  it  is  surely  found  in 
1  Corinthians  10 :  1-5.  Let  us  read  it  and  ponder 
is  carefully: 

Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye  should  be  ignorant, 
how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed 
through  the  sea:  and  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the 
cloud  and  in  the  sea;  and  did  all  eat  the  same  spiritual 
meat;  and  did  all  drink  the  same  spiritual  drink:  for  they 
drank  of  that  spiritual  rock  that  followed  them:  and  that 
rock  was  Christ.  But  with  many  of  them  God  was  not 
pleased:  for  they  were  overthrown  in  the  wilderness. 

Surely  this  settles  the  case ;  for  if  Christ  was  the 
rock  from  which  they  drank,  that  which  they  drank 
must  have  been  the  "water  of  life" — the  gospel. 
And  our  position  is  maintained,  that  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  preceded  that  of 
the  law  of  Moses. 

As  a  fitting  conclusion,  read  the  first  sixteen 
verses  of  Matthew  20,  and  find  in  that  remarkable 
parable  of  the  "householder,"  anc}  his  work  of  hiring 


170  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

laborers  to  work  in  his  vineyard,  a  splendid  epitome 
of  all  that  has  been  set  forth  in  this  discourse.  The 
"early  in  the  morning/'  the  third,  sixth,  ninth,  and 
eleventh  hours  all  referring  to  the  different  periods, 
from  the  world's  creation  to  its  call  to  judgment, 
when  God  sent  forth  his  ministry  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel— the  sowers  and  the  reapers,  with  the  intention 
that  at  the  close  of  the  eleventh  hour  all  shall  be 
called  up  and  rewarded — each  receiving  his  "penny," 
whether  it  be  Adam  or  Enoch,  Noah  or  Abraham, 
Moses  or  Paul,  or  any  of  those  whose  lot  and 
privilege  it  shall  have  been  to  hear  and  obey  the 
last  or  eleventh-hour  call  to  go  and  preach  the  "ever- 
lasting gospel,"  and  "contend  earnestly  for  the 
faith  which  was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints." 
Thus  the  "sowers"  (of  former  days)  and  the 
"reapers"  (of  later  dispensations)  shall  rejoice 
together. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  171 


The  Eleventh  Hour. 

THE  LAST  DISPENSATION  PRECEDING  THE  JUDGMENT. 


For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is 
an  householder,  which  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire 
laborers  into  his  vineyard.  And  when  he  had  agreed  with 
the  laborers  for  a  penny  a  day,  he  sent  them  into  his  vine- 
yard. And  he  went  out  about  the  third  hour,  and  saw  others 
standing  idle  in  the  marketplace,  and  said  unto  them;  Go 
ye  also  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  is  right  I  will 
give  you.  And  they  went  their  way.  Again  he  went  out 
about  the  sixth  and  ninth  hour,  and  did  likewise.  .And 
about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and  found  others 
standing  idle,  and  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here  all 
the  day  idle?  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  hath 
hired  us.  He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard; 
and  whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall  ye  receive.  So  when  even 
was  come,  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  unto  his  steward, 
Call  the  laborers,  and  give  them  their  hire,  beginning  from 
the  last  unto  the  first.  And  when  they  came  that  were 
hired  about  the  eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a 
penny.  But  when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they 
should  have  received  more;  and  they  likewise  received  every 
man  a  penny.  And  when  they  had  received  it,  they  mur- 
mured against  the  good  man  of  the  house,  saying,  These 
last  have  wrought  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made  them 
equal  unto  us,  which  have  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of 
the  day.  But  he  answered  one  of  them,  and  said,  Friend,  1 
do  thee  no  wrong:  didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for  a  penny? 


172  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Take  that  thine  is,  and  go  thy  way:  I  will  give  unto  this 
last,  even  as  unto  thee.  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what 
I  will  with  mine  own?  Is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good? 
So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last:  for  many  be 
called,  but  few  chosen. — Matthew  20 :  1-16. 

In  the.  sermon  on  "Gospel  antiquity"  will  be  found 
all  the  introduction  necessary  to  the  subject  included 
in  this,  which  will  be  found  to  be  somewhat  of  an 
elaboration  or  supplemental  argument. 

For  twenty-three  years  of  my  life,  five  of  which 
were  partially  devoted  to  preaching  a  popular  faith, 
the  text  here  employed  was  a  distasteful  morsel  to 
me.  The  interpretation,  placed  upon  it  by  those 
supposed  to  be  skilled  in  such  work  seemed  in  some 
way  to  blur  the  ideal  God-picture  in  my  mind.  It 
was  simply  monstrous,  if  I  may  express  my  feel- 
ing strongly. 

On  many  occasions,  during  protracted  meetings, 
it  was  employed  in  my  hearing  as  the  "biggest  gun 
for  the  final  broadside"  in  charging  the  enemy's 
ranks  and  seeking  to  capture  the  dazed  and  trem- 
bling ones  whom  Satan  had  held  as  his  own. 

It  was  asserted  that  the  "householder"  repre- 
sented God;  the  "vineyard"  represented  the  world; 
the  "laborers"  represented  the  sinners  or  ungodly 
ones  of  earth;  the  early-morning,  third-,  sixth-, 
ninth-,  and  eleventh-hour  calls  represented  the  sev- 
eral times  from  childhood  till  death  when  the  Spirit 
of  God  strove  with  men  individually,  in  an  effort 
to  persuade  them  to  become  righteous  or  give  their 
hearts  to  Christ;  and  the  "penny"  represented  the 
complete  salvation  and  eternal  glory  which  came 
alike  to  the  man  who,  whether  in  the  infancy  (early 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  173 

morn)  of  his  life  or  at  the  last  moment  (eleventh 
hour)  of  his  existence,  after  a  long  career  of  crime 
or  rebellion,  would  become  converted. 

Instances  were  related  of  the  Spirit's  pleading 
with  the  child  through  the  teachings  of  Sunday- 
school.  Later  under  the  pleadings  of  parents,  as 
they  tearfully  bade  good-bye  to  the  departing  son  or 
daughter,  and  exacted  a  promise  that  he  or  she 
would  become  a  Christian.  Still  later  when  the 
home  was  invaded  by  death,  in  the  presence  of 
which,  as  dear  ones  departed,  promises  were  made 
to  meet  them  in  heaven.  Yet  again,  when  threatened 
with  calamity  or  disaster,  the  sinner  was  con- 
strained to  make  promises  of  reform  upon  the  condi- 
tion of  God  relieving  or  delivering  him  from  present 
danger;  and  finally,  now  in  the  meeting-house  under 
the  persuasiveness  of  the  preacher's  exhortation, 
the  text  was  being  fulfilled,  and  should  that  appeal 
be  slighted,  it  might  prove  the  eleventh-hour  oppor- 
tunity— the  last  chance  to  escape  hell.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  graphic  description  of  hell,  and  the  preacher 
would  sometimes  seem  to  outdo  Milton  in  the  por- 
trayal. Shipwrecks,  disasters  on  sea  and  land, 
terror-inspiring  recitals  of  calamities  which  had 
befallen  scores  of  unfortunate  beings  who  had 
missed  their  day  of  grace,  and  all  other  things 
within  the  range  of  human  imagination  were 
related  in  seeking  to  impress  the  unsaved  ones  with 
a  sense  of  the  awful  risk  assumed  by  further  pro- 
crastination. 

These  verses  were  supposed  to  furnish  warrant 


174  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

for  such  conceptions  of  God  and  his  purpose  and  for 
such  appeals  to  the  ungodly. 

But  let  me  here  mildly  enter  the  protest  of  my 
later  education  and  judgment  against  such  a  mis- 
representation of  God  and  abuse  of  his  word.  There 
is  absolutely  no  warrant  for  such  an  interpretation, 
for  the  reasons: 

1.  The  representation  of  the  parable  relates  to 
God's  methods  within  his  church — his  vineyard. 

2.  It   refers   to   the    selection   of   ministers,    the 
"sowers"  and  "reapers"  (as  shown  in  the  preceding 
discourse),  whose  business,  when  thus  called  of  God, 
is  to  go  and  preach  the  gospel  to  sinners. 

3.  It  refers  to  different  times  or  generations  or 
dispensations  in  the  history  or  age  of  the  world, 
from  Adam  down  till  the  judgment  day,  when  the 
call  from  God — the  Householder — will  come  from 
heaven,  as  in  all  cases  when  a  new  dispensation  has 
been  introduced,  as  with  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham, 
Moses,  or  Jesus  and  the  apostles. 

4.  It  does  not  intimate  that  a  call  came  twice  to 
the  same  person,  but  is  clear  in  its  statement  that 
at  each  time  when  he  came    he   "found    others," 
whom  he  hired. 

5.  Such  an  interpretation  as  we  are  here  repudi- 
ating would  place  the  text  in  conflict  with  all  other 
scriptures  bearing  on  the  same  subject  of  rewards 
and  punishments,  in  that  it  would  give  to  the  man 
who  had  abused    a  lifetime  of    privilege    and  had 
steeped  himself  in  crime,  but  who,  in  the  closing 
moment  of  his  life,  when  bereft  of  power  to  make 
war  on  virtue  any  longer,  a  reward  as  great  as  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  175 

holiest  of  saints  or  martyrs  for  the  truth.  It  would 
be  unjust.  Read  Matthew  16:  27,  Romans  2:  6,  1 
Corinthians  3 :  8,  2  Corinthians  5 :  10,  1  Peter  1 :  17, 
Revelation  2 :  23 ;  22 :  12,  and  many  other  texts  bear- 
ing on  the  subject,  and  you  will  find  that  every  man 
is  to  be  rewarded  according  to  his  works,  his  life, 
his  service  to  God  and  humanity.  It  is  character 
that  is  to  decide  the  right  to  place  and  estate  of 
reward  hereafter,  and  to  this  end,  as  one  of  the 
foregoing  texts  clearly  sets  forth,  books  are  to  be 
opened  in  the  judgment,  and  the  entries  there  are 
to  furnish  the  basis  of  decision  for  all.  In  Matthew 
10 :  42  we  are  informed  that  even  the  giving 
of  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  needy  one  or  disciple 
is  kept  in  remembrance,  and  will  in  no  wise  lose  its 
reward.  The  degrees  of  knowledge  or  ignorance 
of  individuals  as  to  the  law  of  God  will  figure  in 
the  count,  and  will  help  determine  whether  the 
"stripes"  shall  be  "few"  or  "many."  (See  Luke 
12:47,  48.) 

For  these  and  other  reasons  we  reject  the  popular 
interpretation  of  our  earlier  days,  and  welcome  the 
one  which  agrees  with  all  other  scriptures  upon  the 
subject. 

A  man  of  excellent  moral  standing  in  his  com- 
munity, full  of  good  deeds,  by  which  bread  went  to 
the  hungry  and  home  and  comfort  to  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  his  region,  but  who  refused  to  unite  with 
any  of  the  churches  about  him,  because  their  doc- 
trines were,  to  his  mind,  unscriptural  to  quite  an 
extent,  was  assassinated  in  his  home  at  midnight 


176  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

by  one  who  was  found  to  have  been  a  lifelong 
criminal. 

At  the  funeral  of  the  murdered  man  his  good 
deeds  and  general  excellence  were  alluded  to  in  quite 
glowing  terms  of  commendation  when  the  preacher 
viewed  them  from  the  purely  human  standpoint; 
but  when  he  assumed  to  estimtae  them  from  what  he 
called  the  divine  standpoint,  and  in  the  light  of  the 
fact  that  the  man  had  not  become  a  Christian  after 
the  popular  method  of  making  Christians,  he  said 
these  good  deeds  would  but  act  as  a  millstone  around 
his  neck  to  sink  him  deeper  into  the  hell  which  his 
neglect  to  join  the  church  had  earned  for  him. 
Think  of  it,  readers ! 

The  assassin  was  tried,  convicted,  and  condemned 
to  die.  He  employed  attorneys  and  sought  to  secure 
a  reprieve,  and  meanwhile  cursed  the  ministers  who 
visited  his  cell  to  try  and  effect  his  conversion.  He 
drove  them  from  his  presence.  At  last  the  word 
came  that  all  efforts  for  a  reprieve  had  failed,  and 
he  must  die.  Then  a  sudden  change  came  over  him, 
and  he  sent  for  the  clergyman,  and  in  a  few  hours 
was  found  kneeling  in  prayer,  and  two  days  later 
he  declared  on  the  scaffold  that  he  would  not  change 
places  with  the  queen  upon  her  throne:  he  had 
given  his  heart  to  Jesus,  and  was  going  straight 
from  the  gallows  to  the  dwelling-place  of  God,  to 
wear  a  crown  of  glory  and  dwell  with  the  angels  of 
light  in  the  realm  of  infinite  delight.  The  minister 
who  officiated  uttered  a  hearty  "Amen!"  and  finally 
preached  this  criminal  (who  was  too  vile  to  be 
trusted  with  life  here  any  longer)  up  to  the  realms 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  177 

celestial,  to  be  the  companion  of  Jesus  and  the 
redeemed.  He  had  been  converted  in  the  "eleventh 
hour." 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  I  said  that  the  popular  inter- 
pretation of  my  text  was  distasteful  to  me?  It  was 
that  kind  of  preaching,  which  was  the  natural  out- 
growth of  it,  that  made  it  so  to  me.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  I,  with  others,  when  we  heard  of  these 
preachers  and  their  sayings,  said  openly,  if  hell  was 
to  be  made  up  of  such  persons  as  that  murdered  man, 
and  heaven  was  to  be  occupied  with  such  persons 
as  that  assassin,  the  kindest  favor  God  could  show 
us  when  we  died  would  be  to  send  us  to  hell,  where 
we  would  at  least  have  good  company  to  enjoy7 

When  approached  once  with  such  a  representa- 
tion of  God  as  that,  I  asked  the  party  to  kindly 
draw  me  an  accurate  picture  of  the  Devil  next,  and 
I  would  compare  the  two.  He  did  not  even  try.  He 
had  simply  put  the  wrong  name  under  his  picture, 
and  had  never  yet  obtained  a  true  conception  of 
God.  And  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  such 
teaching  as  that — such  mutilation  of  scripture — is  a 
desecration  of  the  pulpit  and  a  strong  factor  in  the 
infidel-making  processes  of  to-day. 

I  repeat  that  character  alone  will  count  in  the 
judgment,  and  character  is  not  formed  in  an  hour 
or  a  day.  It  combines  motive,  effort,  trial,  patience, 
endurance,  and  Christlike  experiences  to  develop 
the  virtue  that  commends  men  and  women  to  God. 
It  must  be  our  preference  to  be  and  to  do  good  and 
our  determination  to  reach  the  goal  at  any  cost  to 
self.  A  man  can  not  pick  up  or  drop  Christianity 


178  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

in  a  moment;  he  may  perhaps  do  that  with  reli- 
gion. Christianity  means  Christ  manifestation  in 
character — the  God-likeness. 

Let  us  now  learn,  if  we  can,  how  those  early- 
morning,  third-,  sixth-,  and  ninth-hour  dispensa- 
tions were  ushered  in,  and  then  judge  how  we  may 
expect  the  "eleventh-hour"  dispensation  to  have  its 
inauguration. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  pile  up  scripture 
in  an  attempt  to  prove  what  you  will  admit  at  once 
— viz,  that  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  and  John  the 
Baptist  each  had  their  call  direct  from  'God,  as  also 
was  the  case,  notably,  with  Jesus.  No  Bible 
believer  will  dispute  that  angels  figured  in  the 
announcements  and  inauguration  each  time.  In  no 
case  was  a  man  called  out  and  appointed  to  work 
except  by  the  voice  of  God  and  the  appearance  of 
angels.  In  Abraham's  case,  the  record  shows  that 
angels  were  almost  as  familiar  as  human  beings  in 
his  counsels.  The  old  patriarch  could  reason  with 
and  appeal  to  heavenly  personages  as  freely  as  his 
soul  desired,  and  he  was  led  by  their  instruction. 
No  less  was  this  the  case  with  Moses.  Begin  with 
the  "burning  bush"  and  end  with  his  call  up  to 
Mount  Nebo  to  die,  and  follow  the  dispensation  till 
the  end  of  the  prophetic  line  as  given,  and  you  have 
an  almost  unbroken  history  of  angels,  direct  reve- 
lation, and  miraculous  display.  The  only  inter- 
ruptions known  were  the  result  of  human  transgres- 
sion or  rebellion. 

The  inauguration  of  the  dispensation  in  which 
John  the  Baptist  and  Christ  figured  had  all  its 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  179 

characteristics  in  divine  interpositions.  Angels 
announced  to  Zacharias,  to  Elizabeth,  to  Mary,  to 
John,  to  Joseph,  to  the  shepherds,  and  to  Jesus  and 
his  chosen  ministry,  and  the  wonderful  history  thus 
began  ends  its  record  in  that  wonderful  panorama 
which  John  beheld  on  Patmos.  Never  a  dispensa- 
tion without  a  prophet  and  leader  at  the  head. 
Never  a  prophet  and  leader  without  a  revelation 
from  God  and  angels  to  minister.  Four  thousand 
years  covered  by  sacred  history,  and  all  its  details 
characterized  by  these  features!  God  throughout 
them  all  is  declared  to  be  unchangeable,  and  the 
final  or  "eleventh-hour"  dispensation  yet  to  be 
introduced,  or  subsequently  to  the  days  of  Bible 
history,  must  be  no  exception.  It  is  to  commence 
just  in  time  to  prepare  the  world  for  judgment,  and 
those  who  labor  in  that  dispensation — the  last  called 
to  labor — are  to  be  called  first  to  reward,  and  then 
follows  all  those  of  former  centuries  to  rejoice 
together  with  them — the  last  to  be  first  and  the 
first  last. 

With  this  panorama  of  a  world's  life  and  God's 
operations  thereon  before  us,  and  the  assurance 
of  his  unchangeability  added,  in  what  manner  may 
we  look  for  the  introduction  of  the  final  or  eleventh- 
hour  dispensation?  If  it  be  without  direct  reve- 
lation from  God,  or  without  angel  ministrations  or 
miracles,  without  a  prophet  and  leader  to  inaugu- 
rate it  as  the  direct  agent  of  God,  how,  oh  tell  me 
how,  can  we  identify  it  as  the  work  of  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Noah,  Enoch,  Moses,  John  the  Baptist, 
Jesus,  or  the  dispensations  of  the  past?  If  all  these 


180  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

characteristics  are  wanting,  where  shall  I  find  the 
unchangeable  God  in  it,  and  by  what  marks  shall 
I  know  him?  All  the  marks  of  identity  furnished 
by  him  for  four  thousand  years  are  gone,  and  by 
some  new,  unknown  way  I  am  to  find  him  out — 
what  is  that  way?  Some  one  tell  me,  and  give  me 
your  authority  for  what  you  tell. 

If  the  Latter  Day  Saints  of  the  Reorganized 
Church,  whom  I  am  permitted  to  represent,  are  all, 
including  myself,  mistaken  in  our  claim  that  we 
have  been  called,  and  are  by  divine  authority 
officiating  under  the  eleventh-hour  regime,  who  has 
the  truth  and  authority  to  administer  the  gospel, 
and  by  what  ancient  landmarks  can  their  claims 
be  proved? 

Not  only  do  we  conclude  by  reasoning  in  this  way 
that  the  final  dispensation  will  be  ushered  in  as  all 
the  former  ones  have  been,  but  we  go  to  the  good 
book  and  read  that  John  foresaw  that  such  would 
be  the  case.  In  Revelation  14 :  6,  7  it  is  stated  that 
he  "saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying  with  a  loud 
voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him ;  for  the  hour 
of  his  judgment  is  come!" 

This  explains  itself,  and  locates  the  time  of  that 
angel's  coming  just  in  advance  of  the  hour  of 
judgment — the  eleventh  hour.  It  designates  his 
message  as  the  "everlasting  gospel,"  and  thus 
identifies  it  with  the  "faith  once  delivered,"  and 
which  all  the  ancient  "sowers"  and  "reapers" 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  181 

preached;  for,  as  Paul  declared,  even  an  "angel 
from  heaven"  was  not  permitted  to  preach  any 
other  gospel  than  that  which  he  preached.  (See 
Galatians  1:8,  9.) 

This  wonderful  story  earned  for  the  ancient 
saints  the  title  of  "peculiar  people,"  the  "sect  every- 
where spoken  against";  and  we,  being  slated  with 
them,  must  share  their  experience  of  proscription 
as  well  as  of  glorious  hope.  If  we  bore  the  brand  of 
the  world,  the  world  would  welcome  and  love  us. 
If  we  bear  the*  brand  divine,  as  attested  his- 
torically, doctrinally,  organically,  and  experi- 
mentally in  the  light  of  God's  guide-book,  we  must 
not  complain  if  but  few  shall  heed  our  restoration 
proclamation,  for  it  is  written  that  but  "few  shall 
find"  the  narrow  way. 

It  is  enough  that  we  ourselves  "know  of  the  doc- 
trine" that  it  is  "of  God,"  and  that  we  faithfully 
live  and  proclaim  it. 


182  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Does  Death  End  All? 


If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again. — Job  14 :  14. 

He  that  is  our  God  is  the  God  of  salvation;  and  unto  God 
the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death. — Psalm  68 :  20. 

As  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also 
bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly. — 1  Corinthians  15 :  49. 

Whence  came  I,  and  whither  do  I  tend? 

How  absolutely  dependent  we  are  for  answers 
to  these  questions!  Without  the  Bible  the  atmos- 
phere about  us  and  through  which  we  peer  would 
be  hazy  indeed.  With  it  as  a  key,  we  venture  forth 
till,  as  it  promises,  we  find  assurance  and  enjoy 
the  restfulness  of  hope,  having  obtained  the  Spirit 
which  certifies  to  the  truth  of  the  story  it  tells. 

There  is  nothing  remarkable,  however,  in  the 
necessity  that  compels  us  to  turn  our  eyes  upward, 
when  our  appeals  in  every  other  direction  have 
been  barren  of  satisfactory  results.  It  is  quite 
reasonable  to  conclude  that  intelligence  should  come 
from  the  source  of  life  itself,  and  that  we  should 
obtain  it  when  we  enter  the  channels  of  its  current. 

By  his  own  ingenuity  man  has  accomplished  a 
great  deal  in  this  world.  He  has  delved  into  the 
very  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  told  the  age  of  the 
world  from  the  strata  of  the  rock.  He  has  climbed 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  183 

to  the  skies  and  measured  the  distances  of  the  stars, 
and  given  us  a  great  deal  of  information  as  to  con- 
ditions that  exist  there  and  the  effects  that  are  felt 
by  us  here.  He  has  taken  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  material  of  which  he  has  constructed  the  iron 
horse,  and  has  charged  its  veins  with  steam  instead 
of  blood,  and  made  it  his  servant  to  dash  through 
mountains  and  over  chasms  that  he  has  already 
bridged  in  his  wisdom,  and  has  thus  proved  the 
wondrous  ability  located  within  himself.  He  has 
stretched  forth  his  hand  and  harnessed  the 
lightning  and  made  it  his  servant,  so  that  he  is 
enabled  to  sit  to-day  upon  one  side  of  the  broad 
Atlantic  and  by  its  help  converse  with  his  fellows 
on  the  other  side,  and,  placing  a  belt  around  the 
earth,  he  has  the  privilege  to-day  of  sending  this 
current  around  the  entire  circuit  as  a  medium  for 
the  communication  of  intelligence.  After  achiev- 
ing these  things  and  a  number  of  others  it  may  not 
be  necessary  to  refer  to  here,  he  has  undertaken 
to  answer  the  question  suggested  by  me  at  the 
outset;  but  instantly  he  has  made  the  effort,  he  has 
found  himself  powerless.  Between  him  and  the 
other  shore  there  hangs  a  veil  of  mystery  so  high 
that  his  wisdom  has  never  been  able  to  scale  it,  so 
deep  that  his  skill  has  never  been  able  to  delve 
beneath,  so  dense  that  his  power  can  not  penetrate 
it;  and  because  this  discovery  has  been  made  by 
him,  haughty,  boastful  man  has  backed  from  this 
wondrous  veil,  and,  after  gazing  upon  it  for  a  time, 
has  decided  that  there  is  nothing  beyond  it;  that 
death  is  the  end  of  conscious  existence;  and  on  the 


184  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

strength  of  this  conclusion,  has  moved  forward, 
directing  his  thought  and  his  effort  against  a  num- 
ber of  comforting  statements  to  the  contrary  that 
are  found  within  this  book,  announcing  that  because 
he  has  not  succeeded  in  penetrating,  in  scaling,  in 
circumventing  what  we  have  referred  to,  there  can 
be  nothing  beyond  from  whence  can  come  knowl- 
edge or  information,  or  unto  which  human  life 
is  tending.  Yet  when  he  reaches  this  conclusion, 
he  has  but  demonstrated  the  truth  of  what  is  con- 
tained in  this  word,  that  no  man  by  wisdom  can 
find  out  God;  that  God  has  reserved  unto  himself 
the  right  to  communicate  the  information  regard- 
ing our  origin,  destiny,  and  his  own  whereabouts. 

We  are  told  that  when  an  immense  chasm  was 
to  be  bridged  on  a  certain  occasion,  an  arrow  was 
shot  across  it  unto  which  was  appended  a  thread, 
and  at  the  end  of  which  was  appended  a  cord,  at  the 
end  of  which  was  appended  a  rope,  at  the  end  of 
which  was  appended  a  cable,  and  thus  in  the  line  of 
development  and  increase  they  moved  until  we  are 
permitted  to  go  to-day  from  one  side  to  the  other 
and  learn  and  enjoy.  If  it  be  confessed  that  beyond 
death  we  can  not  by  the  human  eye  see,  we  can  not 
comprehend,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
there  shall  be  shot  from  the  other  side  the  arrow 
that  shall  contain  the  thread,  utilizing  which  we 
may  gain  the  stronger  evidence,  until  the  line  of 
communication  shall  be  established  as  shall  be 
determined  in  the  wisdom  of  him  from  whom  the 
power  of  our  being  originated. 

Like  others,  I  have  reasoned  on  this  line  in  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  185 

years  past,  and  wondered  where  I  could  find  a 
foundation  upon  which  my  hope  might  safely  rest. 
I  longed  to  know  that  there  was  a  source,  a  loca- 
tion of  wisdom  somewhere  whence  the  appoint- 
ments were  made  that  introduced  the  strange 
providences  of  this  life  that  so  sadly  interfered 
with  my  best  calculations.  Paul,  I  think,  told  the 
truth  when  he  said,  "We  walk  by  faith,  and  not 
by  sight" ;  and  he  also  gave  a  comforting  state- 
ment in  connection  with  it  when  he  declared  that 
faith  was  the  "assurance  of  things  hoped  for," 
carrying  with  it  the  thought  that  the  human  breast 
hoped  for  something,  and  that  hope  was  not  vain. 

I  know  there  are  men  who  oppose  this  position, 
but  I  also  notice  that  one  who  was  considered  the 
champion  of  infidelity  in  this  nation  stood  a  few 
years  ago  by  the  side  of  a  grave  of  a  near  rela- 
tive, and  when  asked  to  deliver  a  funeral  oration, 
made  this  painful  admission — I  say  "painful"  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  his  course  of  life  up  to  his 
death  was  such  as  to  convey  the  impression  that  he 
was  directing  his  shafts  of  thought  and  criticism 
against  the  very  foundation  upon  which  the  human 
hope  of  life  to  come  was  resting.  The  admission 
as  he  stood  by  the  open  grave  was  about  like  this: 
"I  confess  that  I  know  not  whether  this  article  that 
we  now  call  death  is  a  cessation  of  human  conscious- 
ness, the  end  of  real  life,  or  whether  it  be  the  gate- 
way unto  life  in  earnest."  Yet  the  effort  of  his 
life  seems  to  have  been,  (we  may  mistake  his  motive, 
however,)  to  destroy  confidence  in  the  only  source 


186  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

of  information    regarding    this    important    matter 
that  has  ever  been  vouchsafed  to  the  human  race. 

We  are  told  that  by  our  confidence  in  this  book 
we  are  made  slaves;  that  we  are  giving  away  the 
liberty  that  belongs  to  us  as  men,  and  there  is 
nothing  beyond  this  life  towards  which  we  may 
rightly  aspire ;  that  we  should  make  the  best  of  con- 
ditions as  they  now  confront  us,  because  death  ends 
all.  I  ask,  If  this  be  true — grant  for  the  argument's 
sake  that  it  is — what  opportunity  has  the  man  who 
so  thinks  to  utilize  to  better  advantage  the  good  in 
this  life  than  have  I?  If  he  will  confine  himself 
within  the  precincts  of  that  which  is  noble,  hon- 
orable, and  true,  no  privilege  as  a  man  is  granted 
him  wider,  higher,  deeper,  grander  than  that  which 
is  vouchsafed  to  me  as  a  believer  in  this  blessed 
book.  What  is  there  within  his  right  or  power  to 
do  of  good  that  I  may  not  do?  What  is  there 
within  his  privilege  that  is  denied  me  to  make  a 
name  that  shall  go  down  to  posterity  in  honor  and 
renown  because  of  the  real  merit  that  is  associated 
with  it,  because  of  blessing  those  around  me  to  the 
extent  of  my  ability  and  shedding  an  influence  that 
was  tending  to  sanctify  human  character  every- 
where? Where  is  there  a  portion  of  territory 
within  the  province  of  virtue  into  which  he  may 
enter  where  the  bars  are  put  up  by  my  religion 
against  me?  When  my  life  terminates,  and  the 
casket  that  contains  my  mortal  remains  is  placed 
alongside  the  casket  that  contains  his,  and  you  may 
be  called  to  look  upon  the  face  of  the  dead,  I  ask 
you  the  question,  If  his  life-thought  was  the  truer 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  187 

one  and  my  religion  was  vain,  what  has  my  religion 
done  for  me  to  rob  me  of  the  bliss  of  eternal 
extinction  that  his  thought  and  his  philosophy 
brings  to  him? 

If  total  extinction  of  consciousness  is  the  fact 
that  death  introduces,  am  I  not,  though  a  believer  in 
Christ  and  a  disbeliever  in  that  thought,  as  well 
prepared  for  that  condition  when  death  meets  me 
as  is  the  other?  And  if  it  shall  be  found  at  last  to 
be  a  fact  that  he  has  made  a  mistake,  and  I  have 
reasoned  correctly  and  safely,  then  the  superior 
advantage  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  serves 
me  in  a  grander  sense  and  introduces  me  into  the 
field  formerly  unoccupied  by  either  of  us,  and  per- 
haps unappreciated  even  by  myself  to  any  reason- 
able degree;  yet  because  of  the  assurance  of  its 
existence,  because  of  the  faith  born  in  me  by  which 
I  walked  and  lived,  I  have  developed  the  Christ 
character,  and  he  has  failed;  I  enter  into  the  realm 
of  life  where  I  am  acquainted,  because  my  char- 
acter is  like  the  characters  that  shall  there  be  pre- 
sented to  me;  and  when  some  angel  of  God  shall 
step  forward  and  take  me  by  the  hand  and  pre- 
sent me  to  the  Son  of  God  himself,  I  shall  find  that 
when  my  hand  strikes  his,  two  congenial  spirits 
meet,  the  one  current  of  life  emanating  from  him 
as  a  portion  of  immortality  to  me  formerly  has 
developed  until  I  feel  at  home  in  his  presence, 
because  I  am  like  him. 

But  what  of  the  man  who  has  denied  this  pos- 
sibility while  he  lived?  If  my  life  has  been 
employed  with  a  view  to  propagating,  developing, 


188  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

and  encouraging  this  thought  in  humanity,  and  it 
was  a  right  one,  and  his  life  has  been  employed  to 
discourage  this,  and  consequently  to  take  away  the 
influence  of  moral  restrictions  that  this  Christ  and 
this  Bible  impose,  where  shall  his  awakening  be? 
The  Psalmist  said,  and  said  wisely,  "As  for  me,  I 
will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness;  I  shall  be 
satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness."  But 
what  shall  be  said  of  the  awakening  of  the  man 
who  has  not  a  resemblance  to  the  Christ-likeness 
within  himself?  I  simply  make  the  statement  that 
if  there  is  not  anything  of  a  spiritual  communion 
at  the  present  day  in  character  with  that  that  we 
have  been  testifying  of  and  hoping  for,  still  the 
man  who  trusts  in  God  and  the  woman  who  wor- 
ships God  and  Christ  have  at  least  two  chances  to 
one  against  the  unbeliever.  All  the  advantage  of 
eternal  nothingness  and  total  extinction  of  human 
consciousness  is  theirs  as  fully  after  death — if  that 
is  not  a  paradoxical  statement — as  though  they  had 
ignored  Christ  and  religion  all  their  lives.  But  if 
death  is  but  the  gateway  to  the  beyond,  instantly 
it  swings  upon  its  hinges  and  the  effulgence  of  ever- 
lasting bliss  bursts  in  upon  the  soul,  it  finds  one 
ready  to  catch  its  resplendent  glory,  and  fling  back  a 
reflection  that  contributes  its  measure  to  the  sup- 
port and  comfort  of  the  race,  because  of  the  exact 
likeness  it  is  found  to  be  in  with  the  conditions 
that  are  there  revealed. 

Ah!  It  is  better  to  hope,  it  is  better  to  live  by 
faith,  than  to  try  to  destroy  by  either  innuendo  or 
other  expression  of  doubt  the  foundation  upon 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  189 

which  millions  of  souls  are  resting  to-day  for  their 
only  hope. 

I  look  abroad  in  this  world  to-day,  and  notice 
the  cattle  as  they  graze  in  the  open  field;  the  fishes 
as  they  dart  in  the  water;  the  birds  on  gladsome 
wing ;  the  serpent  as  it  moves  along  the  roadside :  I 
think  of  everything  that  lives  or  in  which  there  is 
the  slightest  manifestation  of  life ;  and  I  place  man 
alongside  all  of  these,  and  when  I  turn  to  the  man 
who  has  been  criticising  our  faith  in  God  and  try- 
ing to  destroy  the  foundations  thereof,  I  say,  "Is 
there  anything  in  us  as  men  and  women  that  reflects 
anything  superior  when  compared?"  "Ah,  yes!" 
he  tells  me;  "man  is  the  greatest  exhibition  of 
creative  genius  that  the  world  contains.  He  stands 
out  as  the  very  zenith  towards  which  creative 
genius  aspired,  and  there  it  reached  its  climax." 
He  tells  me  that  man  is  possessed  of  an  intellect 
that  the  beasts  of  the  field  possess  not;  that  while 
instinct  controls  them,  there  is  high  intelligence 
here,  and  that  man  has  something  that  enables  him 
to  move  where  the  others  never  think  to  move.  I 
turn  to  this  man  and  ask  him  if  there  is  not  some- 
thing strangely  paradoxical  in  this  announcement 
of  his  when  placed  alongside  the  effort  he  makes  to 
destroy  human  hope  in  God  and  in  Christ  when  he 
says  that  death  ends  all  for  me.  I  call  his  attention 
to  the  fact  that  if  there  is  no  life  beyond  the  cold 
grave,  then  man  has  revealed  what  he  has  denied 
as  a  fact  when  he  has  claimed  Nature  alone  to  be  his 
God;  for  he  is  the  one  single  exception  in  the 
creative  work,  and  instead  of  towering  up  into 


190  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

those  conditions  of  being  or  existence  that  prove 
that  he  is  to  be  praised  and  admired  above  all  others, 
he  stands  in  that  one  condition  as  a  unique  figure 
to  be  pitied  above  all  else;  because  the  beast  can 
never  have  an  instinct  move  it  to  more  than  it  finds 
ample  gratification  for  in  the  grass  which  he  eats, 
and  the  birds  find  in  the  air  and  in  the  trees  all 
that  their  instinct  leads  them  to  cry  out  for  and 
desire;  and  so  with  everything  from  the  smallest 
to  the  largest  revealments  of  creation  outside  of  the 
human.  But,  pitiable  man,  deplorable  is  your  con- 
dition! Born  never  to  be  satisfied  in  this  life,  and 
yet  have  no  place  outside  of  it  where  you  can 
satiate  the  longings  of  the  spirit  you  possess  and 
that  develops  through  the  intelligence  with  which 
you  are  endowed  and  that  you  as*  an  individual  can 
not  suppress  if  you  want  to!  It  lives  and  asserts 
itself,  and  bears  upon  you,  and  wears  your  life  out, 
and  shortens  your  days  when  the  hope  that  you 
have  within  you  is  blasted  by  the  thought  that  there 
is  nothing  beyond  this  life  in  which  that  desire  can 
be  gratified. 

You  may  find  an  exception;  you  may  find  a  man 
who  finds  in  this  life  all  he  lusts  for,  and  indi- 
viduals who  realize  a  gratification  here  for  what 
are  the  prominent  emotions  within  themselves;  but 
if  you  will  take  race  representatives  and  let  them 
speak,  you  will  never  hear  them  say  that  they  find 
ample  satisfaction  in  this  life  for  the  longings  of 
that  strange  something  within  them  that  aspires 
and  pleads,  yet  never  to  inherit,  if  this  opposing 
philosophy  be  true.  It  is  to  be  deplored  in  that  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  191 

very  distinction  that  separates  me  from  all  the  rest 
of  creation  is  revealed  the  element  that  aspires, 
longs,  and  pleads  for  a  something  that  is  for  ever 
and  ever  denied  it,  if  there  is  no  truth  in  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus  Christ.  Pity  me  as  a  man,  and  con- 
gratulate the  serpent,  if  this  theory  be  correct.  I 
would  rather  be  something  else,  and  find  satisfac- 
tion for  all  I  craved  within  the  sphere  in  which  I 
was  compelled  to  move,  than  be  thrust  into  condi- 
tions without  choice  of  my  own,  to  beg,  crave,  and 
aspire  after  that  which  the  limitations  associated 
with  my  creation  make  impossible  for  me  ever  to 
enjoy.  Pity  me,  I  say,  as  a  man,  and  praise  the 
beast  of  the  field,  if  that  be  true ! 

Is  science  true  in  saying  that  Nature  furnishes 
supplies  for  all  her  demands?  Step  with  me  into 
the  solitude  of  the  chamber  where  death  has  entered 
and  torn  from  my  embrace  the  wife  of  my  years, 
the  associate  of  my  joys,  or  some  dear  one,  be  it 
mother,  or  father,  or  child,  as  the  case  may  be,  who 
has  made  life  here  not  only  tolerable,  but  enjoyable, 
and  without  whose  companionship  life  will  be  a 
bitter  thing  for  ever  afterwards.  When  death, 
pressing  in  upon  me,  sought  to  tear  that  dear  one 
from  my  heart,  I  protested  as  a  man ;  I  held  up  my 
hands  and  insisted  that  it  should  not  be;  I  labored 
and  toiled;  but,  regardless  of  all,  it  pressed  its 
claims,  and  tore  from  my  embrace  the  one  I  loved. 
That  is  not  a  condition  that  came  to  me  by  my 
desire.  You  say  it  was  Nature.  I  labored  against 
it,  but  the  odds  were  against  me. 

I  step  into  the  room  where  the  casket  is  found 


192  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

containing  the  remains  of  my  loved  one,  and  I  look 
upon  the  face.  What  is  the  first  natural  impulse  of 
this  heart  of  mine?  I  have  not  to  feel  out  into 
other  hearts  and  gain  by  accumulating  a  little  from 
here  and  there  that  which  develops  this  feeling 
within  my  soul ;  I  have  not  to  labor  in  order  to  bring 
that  desire  within  me;  but  the  first  natural  impulse 
rising  within  my  heart  is,  Oh,  that  somewhere  this 
heart  that  is  now  made  so  bitter  by  the  separation 
shall  again  be  made  joyous  by  a  reunion,  and  when 
these  lips  shall  again  press  those  that  are  silent 
now  in  death!  Oh,  that  we  shall  meet  again!  Is 
that  a  natural  feeling?  If  it  is,  and  infidelity  be 
true,  where  is  the  supply  for  this  demand?  Noth- 
ing beyond  the  grave!  This  wondrous  framework, 
these  eyes,  these  ears,  this  brain,  this  heart,  and 
those  corresponding  members  in  the  dear  one  that 
is  taken — all  born  to  be  food  for  worms  at  last! 
Oh!  let  me  tell  you  that  the  grandeur  of  the  Christ 
religion  introduces  itself  to  the  human  heart  in 
this  connection,  and  says  this  human  probation  is 
but  the  period  of  preparation  for  conditions  of  life 
beyond  that  tower  in  the  greatness  of  their  majesty, 
dominion,  and  glory,  and  possibility,  infinitely 
beyond  the  barren  conceptions  of  this  mundane 
sphere.  I  tell  you  that  I  would  rather  embrace  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  abide  its  conditions 
because  of  the  reasonableness  of  the  suggestions 
that  are  furnished  in  it,  because  of  the  safe  basis 
it  assures  me  my  soul  may  rest  upon,  even  if  I 
never  had  a  direct  communication  of  the  Spirit 
bearing  witness  of  the  wondrous  life  beyond. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  193 

The  book  of  Genesis  account  of  creation  is 
denounced  as  unworthy  of  belief.  There  is  too 
much  miracle  about  it  for  the  intelligence  of  this 
age  to  accept.  But  what  do  they  substitute  for  it? 
I  ask,  as  before,  How  did  I  get  here?  He  will  take 
me  back  along  the  lines  of  history,  as  he  reads  it  in 
rock,  and  lava,  and  inanimate  creation,  and  when 
he  has  reached  the  outer  limit,  I  suppose  he  is 
going  to  give  me  the  explanation.  My  spirit  longs 
for  a  something  upon  which  it  may  more  safely 
rest,  if  it  is  possible  to  make  the  discovery  of  it. 
And  he  says,  "Come  with  me."  "Where  do  you 
propose  leading  me?"  I  ask.  "On  a  long  journey, 
two  hundred  thousand  years  back;  miles  and  miles 
of  journeying  are  before  you,  and  your  feet  may 
weary,  your  brain  may  grow  dizzy  as  you  try  to  scale 
the  heights,  as  you  try  to  wade  through  the  waters, 
and  you  may. have  difficulty."  I  say  to  the  man, 
"Wait;  here  are  a  number  of  people  who  have  been 
believing  in  and  depending  upon  my  word;  let  me 
take  my  family,  these  men  with  me,  all  the  mem- 
bers of  my  church  with  me."  "Oh!"  he  says,  "that 
will  be  folly."  "And  why?"  "Because  there  is  not 
one  out  of  a  hundred  of  them  that  can  ever  traverse 
the  distance  we  are  to  travel,  that  can  ever  endure 
the  processes  in  investigation  and  reach  the  end 
that  we  are  aiming  at."  "Ah!  then,"  said  I;  "sir, 
upon  what  shall  their  intellects  be  nourished?" 
"You  come  back  and  give  them  your  word  for  it." 
Exactly.  Is  there  any  credulity  about  that?  How 
much  credulity  is  there  in  this,  to  ask  me  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  thousands  of  intelligent  men  and  women 


194  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

on  the  earth  to  start  on  a  journey  of  millions  of 
miles  and  going  back  through  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  years  because  he  wants  me  to  abandon  the 
credulity  that  believes  simply  the  word  of  somebody 
else,  as  found  in  the  Bible?  and  yet  he  asks  me  to 
come  back  and  ask  my  associates  to  accept  my  testi- 
mony regarding  conclusions  I  have  been  enabled 
to  reach  as  a  man!  They  must  take  my  word  for 
it  all.  How  consistent  these  objections  are! 

But  I  follow  him  through  one  form  of  life  and 
one  phase  of  creative  revealment  and  another,  and 
another,  which  is  diminishing  and  diminishing  in 
the  grandeur  of  its  expression,  until  he  gets  me 
down  to  the  most  infinitesimal  form  that  it  is  pos- 
sible to  find  or  conceive  of.  When  he  gets  me  there, 
I  ask  him,  "Sir,  hasn't  that  thing  got  life?"  "Well, 
yes,  it  has  life."  "Mr.  Tyndall,  where  did  it  get  its 
life?"  Mr.  Tyndall  says,  "To  be  honest  with  you, 
I  believe  with  Professor  here  and  Professor  there, 
that  somewhere  about  here  there  occurred  what  we 
call  spontaneous  generation;  but  I  agree  with  other 
writers  that  the  evidences  are  wanting.  We  are 
here  with  a  chasm  before  us,  and  we  bridge  it  by 
conjecture."  Thank  you,  Mr.  Tyndall. 

Suppose  the  Bible  did  that  for  me  at  the  start? 
Is  a  bridge  over  the  same  chasm  made  by  such 
material  as  you  now  use  any  less  reliable  because 
furnished  in  the  Bible?  You  and  your  kind  tell  me 
that  the  Bible  account  is  merely  conjecture;  yet 
here  I  am  on  the  same  side  of  the  chasm,  and  you 
tell  me  you  can  only  bridge  by  conjecture.  I  am 
thousands  of  miles  away  from  home,  and  after  you 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  195 

have  made  my  brain  dizzy  in  climbing,  and  delving, 
and  pursuing,  I  am  told  that  the  chasm  between  the 
living  and  the  not  living  is  bridged  by  conjecture. 
Isn't  it  better  for  me  to  go  back  and  tell  my  congre- 
gation that  the  little  bridge  of  the  Bible  is  as  safe 
as  yours,  to  say  the  least?  for  you  have  only  reached 
that  painful,  humiliating  conclusion  that  it  is  con- 
jecture, after  all.  The  fact  is,  that  when  a  man 
takes  me  back  that  far  and  still  keeps  me  on  the 
same  side  of  the  difficulty,  he  does  not  help  my  con- 
dition. By  reducing  or  diminishing  the  forms  of 
life  till  he  reaches  the  little  moneron  at  the  bed  of 
the  ocean  he  brings  me  no  relief.  It  has  life,  and 
when  I  press  the  thought,  "How  can  you  'conjecture* 
that  the  thing  that  is  now  alive  ever  came  from  that 
which  is  not  alive?"  I  am  told  that  some  force  or 
power  brought  a  piece  of  inert  matter  in  contact 
with  another  piece  of  inert  matter.  But  if  the  two 
pieces  are  inert,  their  contact  will  not  communicate 
a  life  that  neither  piece  possesses;  and  if  both  are 
inert,  what  is  the  power  that  brought  them  together 
and  gave  them  life? 

What  is  the  difference  between  that  and  what  the 
Christian  calls  God?  Will  some  of  you  tell  me?  Is 
it  any  more  difficult  to  believe  that  God  created  man 
from  the  inert  material  that  was  subject  to  his  hand 
and  creative  will,  than  to  believe  that  he  has  created 
an  oyster  or  any  other  form  of  life  from  the  same? 
Begin  with  the  little  sample  he  asks  me  to  respect 
and  end  with  man,  and  remember  the  law  which 
compels  like  to  produce  like;  then  follow,  and  note 
that,  according  to  his  theory,  like  fails  to  produce 


196  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

like  in  hosts  of  instances.  If,  as  I  am  told,  this  is 
caused  by  the  interference  of  a  power  external  to 
itself,  then  begin  with  the  protoplasm  and  start  on 
the  long  journey  of  evolution  till  man  is  developed, 
and  these  external  influences  occur  millions  of  times 
in  all  probability.  If  a  miracle  be  something  that 
interferes  with  or  deflects  the  influence  of  operative 
law,  producing  something  superior  to  the  material 
employed  or  affected,  then  by  rejecting  the  Bible 
account  of  creation  and  accepting  the  infidel  theory, 
I  discard  one  miracle  and  adopt  millions  of  miracles 
insteH.  Let  me  here  say  that  I  am  not  prepared 
to  do  this.  It  is  as  easy  for  me  to  believe  that  God 
made  man  from  the  dust  of  the  earth  as  to  believe 
that  he,  under  some  highly  attenuated  name,  cre- 
ated an  oyster  and  made  it  grow  through  millions 
of  variations  unaccountable  in  natural  law,  till  it 
developed  functional  organs  of  intellect,  and  as  a 
result  became  possessed  of  passions,  emotions,  long- 
ings, and  expectations  that  never  can  be  satisfied  in 
this  life,  yet  has  nowhere  else  to  go  for  hope  to  find 
fruition. 

It  is  my  solemn  belief  that  there  is  a  just  God  and 
a  life  to  come,  and  that  it  was  his  wisdom  that  we 
should  "bear  the  image  of  the  earthy"  that  in  ful- 
fillment of  the  promise  and  in  the  completeness  of 
his  wondrous  design,  as  declared  at  the  outset,  we 
shall  some  day  "bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 
This  is  my  hope,  and  it  is  strengthened  when  I 
reason  in  the  line  I  have  been  referring  to.  The 
Bible  and  reason  tell  me  I  am  destined  for  conditions 
differing  from  those  that  are  now  existing  here,  and 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  197 

a  fitness  for  which  is  to  be  developed  by  my  associa- 
tion here.  I  look  upon  this  clay  framework,  and  I 
ask,  "Why  am  I  tabernacled  thus?"  The  answer 
comes  back,  "Simply  that  you  may  be  adapted  to  the 
conditions  which  environ  you  in  this  life."  That 
is  all;  and  the  wisdom  of  that  strange  provision  is 
revealed  in  the  fact  that  I  can  better  serve  in  this 
life  under  conditions  that  are  earthy  and  human 
through  the  instrumentality  of  a  channel  ordained 
thus  than  I  could  if  I  were  not  thus  linked  together 
with  these  forms  of  association;  and  just  as 
assuredly  as  that  comes  to  me  as  an  evidence  of  wis- 
dom, it  also  argues  that  somewhere  in  the  line  of 
future  development  this  spirit,  with  its  framework, 
changed  or  influenced  under  more  purely  spiritual 
conditions,  shall  arise  to  conditions  of  being  that 
shall  enable  me  to  realize  to  the  fullest  possible 
degree  every  hope,  every  anticipation  born  legiti- 
mately within  me  here  when  abiding  by  the  rule  of 
life  ordained  in  this  sacred  word. 

I  stood  some  few  years  ago  by  a  casket  that  con- 
tained the  mortal  remains  of  one  that  seemed  to  me 
the  very  life  of  my  family — the  brightest  one,  in  a 
mental  way,  of  all  the  flock.  I  looked  upon  its  still 
and  waxen  form;  I  felt  that  there  was  something 
strange  associated  with  its  removal.  It  had  been 
born  that  I  might  cherish  and  admire,  and  I  won- 
dered what  there  was  of  wisdom  associated  with 
such  a  providence  as  took  it  away;  and  as  the 
months  went  by  that  feeling  grew,  until  six  months 
later  it  was  more  distressing  to  me  than  it  was  at 
the  time  when  I  first  looked  upon  the  face  of  the 


198  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

dead.  But  my  gospel  hope  supplied  the  needed 
solace,  and  I  wait  to  meet  that  sweet  cherub  again 
where  no  invasion  of  death  need  be  dreaded.  She 
needed  better  care  than  I  could  give  her,  perhaps, 
and  the  bud  was  transplanted  to  where  its  open- 
ing petals  would  be  kissed  by  the  zephyrs  of  paradise 
and  its  blooming  would  be  immortal ;  where  the  per- 
fume gathered  from  its  celestial  environment  would 
be  preserved  to  make  more  sweet  my  welcome  some 
day  to  that  sphere  of  bliss  and  peace.  Then 
together  we  shall  live  again,  and  learn  the  mysteries 
of  divine  providence. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  199 


Resurrection  of  the  Dead. 


They  taught  the  people,  and  preached  through  Jesus  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead. — Acts  4:  2. 

There  shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the 
just  and  unjust. — Acts  24:  15. 

Paul,  in  his  Hebrew  letter  (chapter  6,  verse  2) 
names  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  as  one  of  the 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  For  this  hope 
he  was  called  in  question.  (See  Acts  23:  6.) 

The  indisputable  fact  that  Jesus  rose  from  the 
dead  meets  all  arguments  as  to  its  possibility,  and 
furnished  the  apostle  (see  1  Corinthians  15)  a 
splendid  basis  for  his  reasoning  upon  the  subject. 

The  hope  of  the  resurrection  had  been  the  joy  of 
Israel  throughout  all  his  history  and  generations.  It 
was  the  theme  of  prophets,  and  the  constant  pic- 
ture before  the  eyes  of  seers,  and  forms  a  large  part 
of  the  testimony  left  us  by  them,  constituting  the 
warp  through  which  the  woof  of  their  faith  details 
was  interwoven.  Without  it  the  Christian  faith, 
with  the  trials  it  invites  upon  its  faithful  advocates 
and  adherents,  would  be  but  a  cheerless  thing,  or, 
as  Paul  puts  it,  "If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope, 
we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  (1  Corinthians 
15 :  19.)  With  this  hope  the  bitterest  experiences 


200  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

of  this  vestibule  estate  are  made  tolerable,  believ- 
ing as  we  do  that  "our  light  affliction,  which  is  but 
for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  (2  Corinthians 
4:17.) 

To  keep  the  spirits  of  the  burdened  and  perse- 
cuted patriarchs  and  prophets  and  apostles  buoyant 
with  hope  under  their  trials,  the  knowledge  of  the 
resurrection  was  kept  alive  within  them  by  repeated 
visions  and  revelations  from  God,  of  which  they  bore 
frequent  witness  to  Israel. 

Here  are  a  few  of  the  items  of  testimony — we 
gather  them  from  the  Scriptures : 

Oh  that  my  words  were  now  written!  oh  that  they  were 
printed  in  a  book!  that  they  were  graven  with  an  iron  pen 
and  lead  in  the  rock  for  ever !  For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth:  and  though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this  body, 
yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God:  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself, 
and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another;  though  my 
reins  be  consumed  within  me. — Job  19 :  23-27. 

God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of  the  grave:  for 
he  shall  receive  me. — Psalm  49 :  15. 

Thy  dead  men  shall  live,  together  with  my  dead  body  shall 
they  arise.  Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  dust:  for  thy 
dew  is  as  the  dew  of  herbs,  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  her 
dead. — Isaiah  26:  19,  20. 

Then  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  these  bones  are  the 
whole  house  of  Israel:  behold,  they  say,  Our  bones  are 
dried,  and  our  hope  is  lost:  we  are  cut  off  for  our  parts. 
Therefore  prophesy  and  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold,  0  my  people,  I  will  open  your  graves,  and 
cause  you  to  come  up  out  of  your  graves,  and  bring  you 
into  the  land  of  Israel.  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord,  when  I  have  opened  your  graves,  O  my  people,  and 
brought  you  up  out  of  your  graves. — Ezekiel  37:  11-13. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  201 

I  will  ransom  them  from  the  power  of  the  grave;  I  will 
redeem  them  from  death:  O  death,  I  will  be  thy  plagues; 
O  grave,  I  will  be  thy  destruction:  repentance  shall  be  hid 
from  mine  eyes. — Hosea  13 :  14. 

And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth 
shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  and 
everlasting  contempt. — Daniel  12 :  2. 

Now  that  the  dead  are  raised,  even  Moses  showed  at  the 
bush,  when  he  calleth  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  and 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.  For  he  is  not  a 
God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living:  for  all  live  unto  him. — 
Luke  20:37,  38. 

Marvel  not  at  this:  for  the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which 
all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrec- 
tion of  life;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resur- 
rection of  damnation. — John  5 :  28,  29. 

And  this  is  the  Father's  will  which  hath  sent  me,  that  of 
all  which  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should 
raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day.  And  this  is  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son,  and 
believeth  on  him,  may  have  everlasting  life:  and  I  will 
raise  up  at  the  last  day. — John  6 :  39,  40. 

For  since  by  man  came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  res- 
urrection of  the  dead.  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive. — 1  Corinthians  15 :  21,  22. 

It  is  clear  from  these  scriptures  that  the  resur- 
rection of  all  men  will  be  brought  about;  but  while 
this  remains  a  settled  fact,  and  that,  independent  of 
our  own  action  or  conduct,  we  shall  come  forth  from 
the  dead  or  grave,  there  is  another  question  which 
has  not  yet  been  touched,  and  that  is,  How,  or  with 
title  to  what  estate,  shall  we  rise?  That  rests  with 
ourselves,  as  we  shall  see. 

Following  the  announcement,  "in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive,"  are  to  be  found  the  words, 


202  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

"but  every  man  in  his  own  order."  (1  Corinthians 
15:23.)  This  introduces  the  thought  of  greatest 
moment  to  us,  because  it  is  left  with  us  to  elect  or 
decide  the  "order."  Two  resurrections  are  yet 
future:  one  for  the  "dead  in  Christ";  the  other, 
more  than  a  thousand  years  later,  for  those  who 
die  out  of  Christ.  In  evidence  of  this,  we  offer  the 
following : 

But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren,  con- 
cerning them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as 
others  which  have  no  hope.  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus 
died  and  rose  again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  him.  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them  which  are 
asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven 
with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the 
trump  of  God:  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first:  then 
we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together 
with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord. — 1  Thessalonians  4:  13-17. 

This  provides  for  a  resurrection  of  the  disciples 
of  Christ  only — those  who  "died  in  Christ,"  or 
"sleep  in  Jesus."  They  are  to  rise  at  the  next  com- 
ing of  Christ,  and  following  their  resurrection  the 
righteous  who  are  alive  at  that  time  are  to  be  caught 
up  with  them  to  meet  the  Lord  as  he  descends. 
Nothing  is  here  said,  however,  about  those  who  died 
out  of  Christ.  What  is  to  be  their  fate?  Let  us  see: 

And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the 
key  of  the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand. 
And  he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  that  old  serpent,  which  is 
the  devil,  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a  thousand  years,  and 
cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and  set 
a  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more3 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  203 

till  the  thousand  years  should  be  fulfilled:  and  after  that  he 
must  be  loosed  a  little  season.  And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they 
sat  upon  them,  and  judgment  was  given  unto  them:  and  I 
saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the  witness  of 
Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which  had  not  worshiped 
the  beast,  neither  his  image,  neither  had  received  his  mark 
upon  their  foreheads,  or  in  their  hands;  and  they  lived  and 
reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand  years.  But  the  rest  of  the 
dead  lived  not  again  until  the  thousand  years  were  finished. 
This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that 
hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection:  on  such  the  second  death 
hath  no  power,  but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of 
Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  him  a  thousand  years. — Revela- 
tion 20 :  1-6. 

Here  we  have  further  evidence  as  to  who  shall 
come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection,  or,  as  Paul  puts 
it,  at  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  also  the 
statement  that  they  are  to  live  and  reign  with 
Christ  a  thousand  years,  while  the  rest  of  the  dead 
— those  out  of  Christ — are  not  to  come  forth  till  the 
end  of  that  period.  Those  who  are  called  forth 
at  this  first  resurrection  are  beyond  the  danger  of 
"the  second  death,"  and  are  guaranteed  the  right 
to  reign  with  Christ  a  thousand  years,  and  are  pro- 
nounced blessed.  This  privilege  they  earned  for 
themselves  by  discipleship  to  Christ  on  earth,  they 
having  endured  suffering  and  persecution,  and  some 
of  them  even  martyrdom,  for  their  faith,  refusing 
to  bow  at  any  other  shrine  or  altar  than  that  pro- 
vided within  the  gospel  of  their  Lord. 

Still  we  have  not  learned  of  the  coming  forth  of 
the  "rest  of  the  dead,"  or  those  out  of  Christ;  but, 
continuing  to  read  from  the  same  chapter,  begin- 


204  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

ning  with  the  seventh  verse,  we  find  information 
desired.    Here  it  is: 

And  when  the  thousand  years  are  expired,  Satan  shall  be 
loosed  out  of  his  prison,  and  shall  go  out  to  deceive  the 
nations  which  are  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  Gog 
and  Magog,  to  gather  them  together  to  battle:  the  number 
of  whom  is  as  the  sand  of  the  sea.  And  they  went  up  on 
the  breadth  of  the  earth,  and  compassed  the  camp  of  the 
saints  about,  and  the  beloved  city:  and  fire  came  down  from 
God  out  of  heaven,  and  devoured  them.  And  the  Devil  that 
deceived  them  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone, 
where  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  are,  and  shall  be  tor- 
mented day  and  night  for  ever  and  ever.  And  I  saw  a 
great  white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it,  from  whose  face 
the  earth  and  the  heavens  fled  away;  and  there  was  found 
no  place  for  them.  And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great, 
stand  before  God;  and  the  books  were  opened:  and  another 
book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life:  and  the  dead 
were  judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the 
book,  according  to  their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the 
dead  which  were  in  it;  and  death  and  hell  delivered  up  the 
dead  which  were  in  them:  and  they  were  judged  every  man 
according  to  their  works. — Revelation  20 :  7-13. 

After  the  long  waiting — one  thousand  years — and 
an  additional  season  while  Satan  is  making  his  final 
effort  to  get  the  nations  together  to  battle  against 
the  saints  who  have  been  reigning  with  Christ  upon 
the  earth,  the  remainder  of  the  dead  are  to  rise  and 
come  to  judgment,  each  to  receive  according  as  the 
"books,"  when  opened,  shall  show  their  conduct  to 
have  been — the  degree  of  good  or  evil  they  have 
exhibited  when  on  earth. 

If  reference  is  had  to  Matthew  16 :  27,  Romans 
2 :  6,  Revelation  22 :  12,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  all 
bear  out  this  fact  of  judgment  being  according  to 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  205 

works.  We  take  it  for  granted,  therefore,  that  "the 
books"  contain  a  record  of  the  lives  of  all,  and  each 
item  of  good  or  evil  will  be  exposed,  and  each  will 
receive  according  to  the  showing  there  made.  It 
requires  no  great  stretch  of  imagination  to  picture  a 
variety  of  characters  standing  before  the  bar  at  that 
day.  From  the  best  grades  of  the  neglectful  or 
indifferent  down  to  the  lowest  grades  of  the  vicious 
and  the  cruelly  wicked  and  criminal.  Justice  can 
never  throw  them  together  to  share  equal  punish- 
ment, hence  conditions  must  exist  or  be  provided 
where  each  will  find  what  his  moral  condition — his 
character-exhibit — calls  for.  The  best  among  them, 
with  many  good  deeds  to  their  credit,  have  lost  the 
first  resurrection  and  its  privileges  of  glory  and 
honor  by  failing  to  honor  God  by  obedience  to  Christ 
when  he  or  hib  ministers  were  among  them  on  earth, 
yet  they  deserve  a  much  better  estate  than  the  lower 
class  referred  to,  who  have  only  lived  to  injure 
society  and  destroy  virtue.  Has  provision  been 
made  for  this  variety  of  beings?  Let  us  read: 

There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  and  another  glory  of  the 
moon,  and  another  glory  of  the  stars:  for  one  star  differeth 
from  another  star  in  glory.  So  also  is  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.— 1  Corinthians  15 :  41,  42. 

Surely  this  is  ample,  and  meets  the  strongest  and 
loudest  exactions  of  justice.  The  man  who  missed, 
by  his  indifference,  the  first  resurrection,  "the  glory 
of  the  sun,"  may  secure  that  lesser  estate  of  honor 
typified  by  "the  glory  of  the  moon."  Others  of  less 
honor  or  degrees  of  rectitude  may  fail  of  both  of 
these,  yet  receive  an  estate  typified  by  the  glory  of 


206  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

a  brilliant  star,  and  so  on  down  the  line  till  there  is 
scarcely  a  trace  of  even  virtuous  intention  dis- 
cernible, which  will  be  met  with  an  assignment  to 
a  condition  where  its  affinities  of  character  are 
found — him  "that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still." 

Do  I  hear  that  old,  timeworn  objection  to  this, 
based  upon  the  parable  of  the  sheep  and  goats,  from 
which  so  many  think  they  can  gather  support  for  the 
idea  of  there  being  but  two  places  hereafter — one 
of  ineffable  glory  and  the  other  of  indescribable 
torture  through  endless  years  ?  If  some  one  has  that 
in  mind,  let  us  go  together  to  Matthew,  and  inquire 
'of  him  what  he  really  has  to  say  regarding  Jesus' 
relation  of  that  parable.  The  twenty-fifth  chapter 
contains  his  answer.  Let  us  read  from  the  thirty- 
first  to  the  forty-fifth  verses,  inclusive : 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the 
holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
his  glory:  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations:  and 
he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd 
divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats:  and  he  shall  set  the 
sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left.  Then 
shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world:  for  I  was  an  hungered, 
and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink: 
I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed 
me:  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me:  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye 
came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  say- 
ing, Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee? 
or  thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink?  when  saw  we  thee  a 
stranger,  and  took  thee  in?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee? 
or  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee? 
And  the  king  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  207 

of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.  Then  shall 
he  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels:  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat:  I 
was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink:  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  not  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  not:  sick, 
and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  me  not.  Then  shall  they  also 
answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered, 
or  athirst,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and 
did  not  minister  unto  thee?  Then  shall  he  answer  them,  say- 
ing, Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of 
the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me. 

Now,  does  this  relation  warrant  the  objection  that 
there  are  but  two  classes  and  two  places?  Let  us 
get  at  it  in  detail  and  see. 

First,  let  us  ask,  Who  are  the  "brethren"  referred 
to  in  the  forty-first  verse? 

Then  one  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thy  mother  and  thy  breth- 
ren stand  without,  desiring  to  speak  with  thee.  But  he 
answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told  him,  Who  is  my  mother? 
and  who  are  my  brethren?  And  he  stretched  forth  his  hand 
toward  his  disciples,  and  said,  Behold  my  mother  and  my 
brethren!  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and 
mother.— Matthew  12 :  47-50. 

This  seems  to  convey  the  idea  that  Jesus  recog- 
nized his  obedient  followers  only  as  his  brethren— 
those  who  did  the  will  of  his  Father.  If  this  be 
true,  be  it  remembered  that  these  must  have  risen 
from  their  graves  in  the  first  resurrection  and 
began  their  reign  with  Christ  a  thousand  years 
before  the  time  referred  to  in  this  parable,  for  at 
this  time  all  nations  are  to  be  gathered — not  the 
saints  or  those  who  died  in  Christ.  (See  verse  32.) 
Let  us  remember  that  when  Jesus  sent  his  disciples 


208  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

out  to  represent  him,  he  said  unto  them :  He  that 
receiveth  you  receiveth  me,  and  he  that  receiveth  me 
receiveth  him  that  sent  me. — Matthew  10 :  40. 

Coming  back  to  our  parable,  let  us  note  that  the 
assembled  nations  are  separated  as  a  shepherd  divid- 
eth  his  sheep  from  the  goats,  those  representing  the 
sheep  Jesus  bids  to  "the  kingdom  prepared  for" 
them  "from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  Stop 
here  long  enough  to  notice  that  the  place  to  be  inhab- 
ited by  the  "brethren"  or  disciples  of  Christ  was  not 
prepared  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  for  Jesus 
said,  at  least  four  thousand  years  after  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  to  his  disciples : 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled:  ye  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it 
were,  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I 
will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I 
am,  there  ye  may  be  also. — John  14 : 1-3. 

It  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  Savior  is  still  busy 
preparing  the  place  in  the  mansions  of  the  Father's 
house  for  his  saints,  and  that  when  that  work  is  fin- 
ished, he  will  come  again,  as  he  said,  and  receive 
them  to  himself. 

.  The  Savior's  words  to  those  on  his  right  are  sig- 
nificant: "The  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world."  Next,  let  us  ask,  Why 
are  they  to  receive  this  kingdom?  Is  it  a  reward 
for  their  faithfui  discipleship — their  obedience  to 
Christ  and  his  gospel?  Not  at  all!  It  is  for  the 
good  works  of  kindness  which  they  had  done  to  the 
disciples  of  Christ  when  they  were  among  them  on 
earth.  They  express  surprise  at  the  announcement 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  209 

that  they  had  ever  fed  and  clothed  and  nursed  and 
visited  Jesus  on  earth.  If  they  had  been  acquainted 
with  Christ  before  that  in  the  capacity  of  disciples, 
they  would  never  have  expressed  surprise  nor  asked, 
When  did  we  see  you  and  do  what  you  say  ?  for  they 
would  have  understood  what  we  have  already  shown, 
that  he  that  received  a  disciple  of  Christ  received 
Christ.  But  this  had  to  be  explained  to  them,  and 
Jesus  does  it  by  pointing  to  his  ' "brethren,"  who  had 
entered  their  estate  of  reward  a  thousand  years 
before,  and  virtually  asking  the  "sheep"  if  they  do 
not  remember  having  ministered  unto  this,  that,  or 
the  other  one  of  those  "brethren"  at  some  time. 
When  they  recognize  those  "brethren"  and  acknowl- 
edge that  they  did,  he  will  answer:  Well,  as  I  told 
them  when  I  sent  them  out  among  you,  what  you 
did  to  them  you  did  to  me,  and  I  now  reward  you 
for  it;  for  I  meant  all  I  said  when  I  declared  that 
not  even  a  cup  of  cold  water  given  to  one  of  my  dis- 
ciples should  in  any  wise  lose  its  reward.  (See 
Matthew  10:42.) 

Those  on  his  left  evidently  had  had  similar  oppor- 
tunities to  extend  hospitality  to  the  brethren,  but 
they  refused,  and  perhaps  mistreated  and  perse- 
cuted them  instead,  and  it  was  the  same  as  if  done  in 
person  to  Jesus  and  God ;  hence  the  verdict  to  depart 
from  them  into  punishment.  The  evidence  upon 
which  those  on  either  side  will  be  judged,  as  here 
shown,  will  doubtless  be  gathered  from  the  "books" 
which  are  to  be  opened,  in  which  the  entries  of 
human  conduct  have  been  faithfully  made. 

Thus  we  conclude  that  this  parable  tells  of  the 


21>3  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

final  judgment  referred  to  in  Revelation  20:  12,  13, 
more  than  a  thousand  years  subsequent  to  the  time 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  "dead  in  Christ,"  and  is 
in  agreement  with  John  14 :  2  as  to  there  being 
"many  mansions" ;  also  with  1  Corinthians  15 :  41, 
42,  in  which  the  fact  of  different  glories  in  the  resur- 
rection is  announced.  Besides  the  reference  made 
to  three  classes  at  least — viz,  the  "brethren,"  the 
"sheep,"  and  the  "goats" — we  see  no  warrant  in  the 
language  of  the  parable  for  concluding  that  all  of 
the  "sheep"  will  occupy  the  same  place  in  the 
"kingdom  prepared  for"  them,  nor  all  of  the  "goats" 
will  receive  the  same  degree  of  punishment  in  the 
places  of  their  confinement.  It  is  enough  that  we 
explain  away  that  which  some  look  upon  as  a  seem- 
ing inharmony.  Our  discovery  of  beauty  of  the  res- 
urrection doctrine,  as  herein  advocated,  makes  us 
love  God  more  than  before  it  was  so  taught  to  us. 
Wisdom,  justice,  foreknowledge,  and  love  stand  out 
in  such  beauteous  colors  as  to  attract  the  soul,  and 
the  mind  and  heart  can  never  fail  to  admire  and 
rejoice.  All  praise  and  gratitude  be  for  ever 
ascribed  to  our  God  and  to  his  blessed  and  "only 
begotten  Son"  for  these  conditions  and  the  gracious 
revelation  of  them  to  man. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  211 


Eternal  Judgment. 


He  shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  he  shall  min- 
ister judgment  to  the  people  in  uprightness. — Psalm  9 :  8. 

He  shall  judge  the  people  righteously. — Psalm  96 :  10. 

Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right? — Genesis 
18:25. 

Doth  God  pervert  judgment?  or  doth  the  Almighty  per- 
vert justice?— Job  8 :  3. 

Connected  with  the  gospel  economy,  there  is  no 
theme  more  grave,  yet  sublime,  than  that  of  "eternal 
judgment."  Present  life  conditions  distress  the 
mind  and  burden  the  spirit.  The  "wicked  flourish 
like  a  green  bay-tree,"  while  ofttimes  the  righteous 
are  compelled  to  abide  in  straits  of  poverty  and 
oppression.  The  lines  of  distinction  by  which 
society  is  classified  are  such  as  to  often  extol  vice 
and  decry  virtue.  The  privileges  of  place  and  dis- 
tinction are  attainable  only  at  the  sacrifice  of  man- 
hood and  honor  in  very  many  instances.  Nobility 
is  determined  from  false  standards  and  courage  is 
passed  by,  while  cowardice  parades  under  its  name. 
Truth  is  made  a  doormat  for  the  feet  of  fools,  while 
folly  and  heresy  float  as  the  banner  watchwords  of 
recognized  leaders. 

From  these  scenes  of  daily  contact  the  gospel- 
taught  mind  turns  to  scan  a  picture  of  the  future 


212  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

which  inspired  fingers  have  painted  for  its  relief. 
How  striking  the  contrast!  Birth,  wealth,  station, 
caste,  and  caliber  are  to  be  ignored,  and  it  shall  be : 
As  with  the  people,  so  with  the  priest;  as  with  the  servant, 
so  with  his  master;  as  with  the  maid,  so  with  her  mistress; 
as  with  the  buyer,  so  with  the  seller;  as  with  the  lender, 
so  with  the  borrower;  as  with  the  taker  of  usury,  so  with 
the  giver  of  usury  to  him. — Isaiah  24 :  2. 

Character  alone  will  discriminate,  and  that  will 
be  determined  by  the  record  of  deeds  and  the  motives 
that  impelled  them.  The  rich  man  who  gave  liber- 
ally is  not  to  be  honored  for  the  mere  act  of  giving ; 
for,  "Though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor, 
.  .  .  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  nothing." 
— 1  Corinthians  13 :  3.  Motive  is  an  index  of  char- 
acter, and  God,  who  is  to  be  the  judge,  can  read  the 
motive  as  clearly  as  we  can  the  act. 

Many  a  man  who  has  been  accounted  insolvent 
here  will  be  found  to  have  large  "treasures  in 
heaven,"  while  others  who  figured  as  money  kings 
below  will  be  found  paupers  on  the  bounty  of  God 
and  Christ.  The  classification  of  society  will  be 
upon  an  entirely  different  basis,  and  righteousness 
will  give  distinction  and  honor,  while  its  absence 
will  relegate  men  to  reverse  conditions.  Judgment 
without  fear  or  favor  will  be  rendered  in  equity, 
and  all  will  be  constrained  to  confess  its  righteous- 
ness. 

The  opportunities  of  present  life,  be  they  many 
or  few,  will  then  proclaim  the  use  or  abuse  they 
have  been  subjected  to;  the  ability  possessed  by  us 
to  embrace  and  improve  them  will  be  noted,  and  we 
must  content  ourselves  with  the  results  of  the  show- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  213 

ing  made.  The  record  will  be  an  accurate  one,  and 
its  impeachment  will  be  an  impossibility.  Our 
characters  will  bear  witness,  either  in  excellence  of 
abounding  virtue  or  in  spiritual  barrenness,  in  vin- 
dication of  the  record.  Both  will  agree.  The 
record  will  reveal  causes,  and  the  character  show 
effects.  This  unity  of  testimony  will  proclaim  the 
justness  of  the  divine  verdict  which  will  then  be 
rendered. 

Under  this  eternal  adjustment  the  holy  will  secure 
association  with  the  holy,  and  they  will  delight  them- 
selves together  in  the  activities  that  bring  per- 
petual satisfaction;  while  the  vile  and  ignoble  will 
receive  consignment  together,  where  the  influence 
of  their  presence  can  not  extend  beyond  the  limits 
of  their  own  abode.  Every  man  will  then  abide 
under  the  conditions  invited  by  his  own  former 
decision  and  action,  and  whatever  those  conditions 
may  be,  whether  pleasant  or  painful,  there  can  be 
no  escape  from  them  within  the  time-limits  decreed 
of  God.  One  thing  is  certain,  however,  and  that  is, 
that  no  man  will  suffer  for  sins  he  did  not  commit. 
He  will  not  be  consigned  with  murderers  if  he  com- 
mitted no  murder,  nor  with  adulterers,  if  he  is  free 
from  guilt  of  that  crime.  The  popular  notion 
that  all  who  miss  the  "great  salvation"  must  con- 
gregate together  in  the  regions  of  dark  despair  is 
a  cruel  and  unwarranted  dogma.  Think  of  the 
moral  and  immoral — the  man  who  has  stood  for  the 
protection  of  female  virtue,  and  the  debauchee;  the 
honorable  man  and  the  knave;  the  man  of  strict 
veracity  and  the  liar;  the  man  of  cleanly  inclina- 


214  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

tions  and  the  reveler  in  filth ;  the  sober  man  and  the 
sot ;  the  man  of  refined  speech  and  the  foul-mouthed 
rake — all  commingling  together  by  the  decree  of  a 
being  who  claims  justice  as  one  of  the  chief 
attributes  of  his  character!  The  institution  that 
defends  such  conception  is  the  assassin  of  love.  The 
more  such  a  theory  is  pressed  upon  our  belief,  the 
less  respect  can  we  have  for  its  author,  and  with 
waning  respect  love  has  poor  anchorage. 

There  is  not  a  community  on  earth  but  would 
raise  its  voice  in  condemnation  of  such  procedure  on 
the  part  of  an  earthly  judge,  and  yet  the  society  that 
would  execrate  an  earthly  occupant  of  the  bench 
for  so  doing  makes  such  procedure  a  part  of  its 
representation  of  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth.  O 
consistency,  how  homeless  thou  art  among  human 
creeds !  No  wonder  infidels  are  being  multiplied ! 

Contrast  with  this  picture  the  representation  God 
and  Christ  have  made  of  themselves,  and  which  we 
have  every  warrant  for  believing,  and  "eternal 
judgment"  stands  out  clear  and  beautiful  in  the 
resplendent  luster  of  justice  and  consistency,  those 
essentials  of  divinity.  Who  can  ever  object  to 
announcements  like  these : 

For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father 
with  his  angels;  and  then  he  shall  reward  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  works. — Matthew  16 :  27. 

Who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds. — 
Romans  2 :  6. 

And  every  man  shall  receive  his  own  reward  according  to 
his  own  labor. — 1  Corinthians  3 :  8. 

For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ; 
that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  215 

according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad. 
—2  Corinthians  5 :  10. 

Who  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth  according  to  every 
man's  work. — 1  Peter  1 :  17. 

I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  according  to  your  works. 
— Revelation  2 :  23. 

And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God; 
and  the  books  were  opened:  and  another  book  was  opened, 
which  is  the  book  of  life:  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of 
those  things  which  were  written  in  the  books,  according  to 
their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  were  in 
it;  and  death  and  hell  delivered  up  the  dead  which  were  in 
them:  and  they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  their 
works. — Revelation  20 :  12,  13. 

And  whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little 
ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple, 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward. — 
Matthew  10 :  42. 

And  that  servant,  which  knew  his  lord's  will,  and  pre- 
pared not  himself,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes.  But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did 
commit  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few 
stripes.  For  unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall 
be  much  required:  and  to  whom  men  have  committed  much, 
of  him  they  will  ask  the  more. — Luke  12 :  47,  48. 

Behold,  I  come  quickly;  and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to 
give  every  man  according  as  his  work  shall  be. — Revelation 
22:12. 

Surely  no  admirer  of  justice  can  complain  or 
revolt  at  these  or  the  assurances  they  give. 

Let  man  conceive  of  anything  more  divine,  by  way 
of  provision  for  classes  in  judgment,  than  this: 

There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  and  another  glory  of  the 
moon,  and  another  glory  of  the  stars:  for  one  star  differeth 
from  another  star  in  glory.  So  also  is  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead.— 1  Corinthians  15 :  41,  42. 

For  as  in  Adam  all   die,   even   so  in  Christ  shall  all  be 


216  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

made  alive.    But  every  man  in  his  own  order. — 1  Corinthians 
15 :  22,  23. 

Instinctively  the  honest  heart  breaks  forth  in 
praise  and  thanksgiving  at  such  an  assurance  as 
this.  Truly  it  is  the  provision  of  an  all-wise,  loving, 
and  just  One,  and,  after  consulting  all  the  nobler 
qualities  of  our  being,  we  feel  our  bosoms  swell  with 
holy  pride  as  our  knees  bend  at  the  shrine  of  cheer- 
ful devotion,  while  our  lips  frame  the  words,  "Our 
Father  which  art  in  heaven."  It  is  human  love 
begotten  by  the  revelation  of  divine  attributes.  It  is 
our  acknowledgment  and  tribute  to  the  divine 
proclamation:  "The  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do 
right."  "The  Lord  shall  judge  the  world  in  right- 
eousness." 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  217 


Probation  After  Death. 


Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. — Matthew  16:  18. 

The  subject  of  this  discourse  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  comforting  of  which  we  know  any- 
thing, and  we  only  wish  our  ability  was  such  as  to 
present  it  in  anything  like  its.  beauty,  or  as  its 
importance  deserves.  We  can  only  here  bring  out 
a  few  points  in  its  support  and  leave  it. 

When  preaching  the  exclusive  New  Testament 
faith,  we  are  often  asked  as  to  what  will  become  of 
those  who  died  without  hearing  it.  The  popular  idea 
that  only  two  places  exist  hereafter — the  heaven  of 
the  "sheep"  and  the.  hell  or  everlasting  fire  estate  of 
the  "goats" — gives  rise  to  this  question ;  for,  consid- 
ering the  "hell"  spoken  of  to  be  a  place  of  literal 
burning,  and  that  those  once  entering  it  can  never 
escape,  the  idea  of  God's  partiality  is  made  to 
appear,  in  that  but  few  have  had  opportunity  to 
learn  the  way  of  life  and  escape  hell. 

Without  preliminary,  we  shall  proceed  to  intro- 
duce scriptures  which  to  us  seem  self-explanatory, 
and  will  avoid  all  unnecessary  comment,  hoping  to 
thus  give  most  of  the  space  to  God's  word,  and  not 
ours.  First,  we  wish  to  show  that  hell  is  not  neces- 
sarily a  place  of  literal  burning : 


218  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

The  sorrows  of  hell  compassed  me  about;  the  snares  of 
death  prevented  me;  in  my  distress  I  called  upon  the  Lord, 
and  cried  to  my  God:  and  he  did  hear  my  voice  out  of  his 
temple,  and  my  cry  did  enter  into  his  ears. — 2  Samuel 
22:6,  7. 

The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me,  and  the  pains  of  hell 
gat  hold  upon  me:  I  found  trouble  and  sorrow. — Psalm 
116:3. 

For  great  is  thy  mercy  toward  me:  and  thou  hast  deliv- 
ered my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell. — Psalm  86 :  13. 

And  the  tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  iniquity:  so  is  the 
tongue  among  our  members,  that  it  defileth  the  whole  body, 
and  setteth  on  fire  the  course  of  nature;  and  it  is  set  on  fire 
of  hell. — James  3 :  6. 

Thou  shalt  beat  him  with  the  rod,  and  shalt  deliver  his 
soul  from  hell. — Proverbs  23 :  14. 

The  way  of  life  is  above  to  the  wise,  that  he  may  depart 
from  hell  beneath. — Proverbs  15 :  24. 

In  each  of  these  hell  is  represented  as  a  condition 
of  mind  or  character,  and  the  Psalmist  in  one  place 
declares  that  he  had  already  been  delivered  from  the 
"lowest  hell."  James  says  the  tongue  is  a  "fire" 
and  is  "set  on  fire  of  hell,"  whereby  he  can  not  mean 
literal  fire,  as  we  all  must  admit.  In  all  of  these 
other  instances  the  idea  of  deliverance  from  hell  is 
carried.  Next  we  consider  hell  as  a  place: 

And  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and 
seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom.  And  he 
cried  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send 
Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and 
cool  my  tongue;  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame. — Luke 
16:23,  24. 

The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations 
that  forget  God.— Psalm  9 :  17. 

In  this  case  of  "torments"  of  hell  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  "flame,"  is  was  quite  possible  to  carry  on  a 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  219 

conversation  with  another  who  was  "afar  off,"  with 
a  "great  gulf"  between  them.  (Verse  26.)  It  will 
be  well  to  observe  that  these  are  all  figures  of  speech, 
as  was  "Abraham's  bosom,"  and  are  not  to  be  taken 
as  literal.  In  the  imagination  of  careless  readers, 
this  rich  man  is  pictured  as  a  very  bad  or  vicious 
man,  and  Lazarus  as  a  very  good  one;  and  we 
heard  a  preacher  once  tell  his  audience  about 
Lazarus  having  been  driven  from  the  rich  man's 
door,  and  the  dogs  having  been  set  upon  him. 
Not  a  word  appears  in  the  recital  to  that  effect; 
rather  the  contrary,  for  it  would  seem  that 
Lazarus  was  laid  at  that  gate  because  he  was 
permitted  to  feed  upon  the  remnants  from  the  rich 
man's  table  there,  and  the  dogs  simply  licked  his 
sores.  In  all  this  we  see  nothing  but  a  representa- 
tion of  two  conditions  of  estate  in  this  life,  and  the 
Savior  wished  to  show  that  we  ought  not  to  judge 
from  these  alone,  for  in  the  future  many  of  them 
would  be  reversed,  the  rich  man  becoming  a  beggar 
and  the  poor  man  coming  into  good  estate.  There 
is  nothing  in  poverty  or  sores  or  dog-licks  to  entitle 
a  man  to  future  glory,  and  there  is  nothing  in  being 
rich,  faring  sumptuously,  and  being  well  clothed  to 
make  a  man  deserving  of  eternal  roasting  in  a  literal 
fire.  It  is  simply  the  use  or  abuse  of  our  estate  that 
makes  character,  and  only  character  will  count 
hereafter.  We  have  no  right  to  distort  or  read  into 
the  text  what  is  not  there,  and  there  is  nothing  there 
that  shows  criminality  nor  aught  to  justify  such  a 
punishment  as  enthusiasts  make  that  hell  to  mean. 
Hell  may,  therefore,  be  a  place  or  condition,  and  is 


220  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

one  of  distress,  varying  in  degree.     Thousands  of 
people  may  be  in  one  place  here,  but  they  do  not  all 
fare  alike  nor  feel  alike,  necessarily. 
Here  is  another  testimony: 

And  said,  I  cried  by  reason  of  mine  affliction  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  heard  me;  out  of  the  belly  of  hell  cried  I,  and 
thou  heardest  my  voice. — Jonah  2 :  2. 

Note  from  the  context  of  this  that  Jonah  was  in 
the  belly  of  a  fish,  and  it  is  here  called  hell.  Read 
the  following  verses,  and,  in  the  sixth,  find  that  he 
was  there  for  ever,  and  you  will  learn  that  any 
place  where  God's  punishment  is  being  endured  is 
hell,  and  any  period  of  time  may  mean  for  ever. 
With  Jonah  it  was  but  three  days.  If  for  ever 
can  mean  only  three  days  in  one  case  in  Scrip- 
ture, "for  ever  and  ever"  may  be  limited  to  six  days, 
if  necessary.  The  word  does  not  mean  without  ces- 
sation or  ending  in  all  cases.  In  Isaiah  32 :  14,  15, 
evil  was  decreed  against  Palestine  for  ever,  yet  the 
next  verse  limits  it  until  the  Spirit  of  God  should 
come.  We  read  of  the  "everlasting"  hills,  and  yet 
every  mountain  and  hill  is  to  be  leveled  if  the  Word 
is  fulfilled.  The  words  hell,  pit,  prison,  and 
nether  parts  of  the  earth  are  used  synonymously  in 
the  Scriptures  quite  frequently,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  following: 

For  they  are  all  delivered  unto  death,  to  the  nether  parts 
of  the  earth,  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  men,  with  them 
that  go  down  to  the  pit. — Ezekiel  31 :  14. 

I  made  the  nations  to  shake  at  the  sound  of  his  fall,  when 
I  cast  him  down  to  hell  with  them  that  descend  into  the  pit: 
and  all  the  trees  of  Eden,  the  choice  and  best  of  Lebanon,  all 
that  drink  water,  shall  be  comforted  in  the  nether  parts  of 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM  .GOSPEL  221 

the  earth.  They  also  went  down  into  hell  with  him  unto 
them  that  be  slain  with  the  sword;  and  they  that  were  his 
arm,  that  dwelt  under  his  shadow  in  the  midst  of  the  heathen. 
— Ezekiel  31:16,  17. 

Son  of  man,  wail  for  the  multitude  of  Egypt,  and  cast 
them  down,  even  her,  and  the  daughters  of  the  famous 
nations,  unto  the  nether  parts  of  the  earth,  with  them  that 
go  down  into  the  pit.  .  .  .  The  strong  among  the  mighty 
shall  speak  to  him  out  of  the  midst  of  hell  with  them  that 
help  him:  they  are  gone  down,  they  lie  uncircumcised,  slain 
by  the  sword.  Asshur  is  there  and  all  her  company:  his 
graves  are  about  him:  all  of  them  slain,  fallen  by  the 
sword:  whose  graves  are  set  in  the  sides  of  the  pit,  and 
her  company  is  round  about  her  grave;  all  of  them  slain, 
fallen  by  the  sword,  which  caused  terror  in  the  land  of  the 
living.  There  is  Elam  and  all  her  multitude  round  about 
her  grave;  all  of  them  slain,  fallen  by  the  sword,  which  are 
gone  down  uncircumcised  into  the  nether  parts  of  the  earth, 
which  caused  their  terror  in  the  land.  .  .  .  And  they  shall 
not  lie  with  the  mighty  that  are  fallen  of  the  uncircum- 
cised, which  are  gone  down  to  hell  with  their  weapons  of 
war:  and  they  have  laid  their  swords  under  their  heads, 
but  their  iniquities  shall  be  upon  their  bones,  though  they 
were  the  terror  of  the  mighty  in  the  land  of  the  living.  Yea, 
thou  shalt  be  broken  in  the  midst  of  the  uncircumcised,  and 
shalt  lie  with  them  that  are  slain  with  the  sword.  There  is 
Edom,  her  kings,  and  all  her  princes,  which  with  their  might 
are  laid  by  them  that  were  slain  by  the  sword:  they  shall 
lie  with  the  uncircumcised,  and  with  them  that  go  down  to 
tne  pit. — Ezekiel  32 :  18-29. 

Place  and  condition  of  punishment  are  here  indi- 
cated and  in  very  plain  terms.  We  leave  this  with- 
out further  comment  at  present,  and  proceed  to  show 
that  deliverance  from  hell  is  possible. 

In  verse  21  of  the  foregoing  it  is  said  that  "the 
strong  among  the  mighty"  will  speak  out  of  the 
midst  of  hell.  Later  we  shall  see  the  object  of  this. 


222  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whiles  thou  art  in  the 
way  with  him;  lest  at  any  time  the  adversary  deliver  thee 
to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and 
thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  Thou  shalt 
by  no  means  come  out  thence,  till  thou  hast  paid  the  utter- 
most farthing. — Matthew  5 :  25,  26. 

Here  the  word  prison  is  employed  and  as  a  place 
of  punishment,  from  whence  those  cast  in  shall  not 
escape  till  they  have  paid  the  uttermost  farthing. 
This  has  no  meaning  if  deliverance  is  impossible 
when  the  debt  is  paid. 

Wherefore  I  say  unto  you,  All  manner  of  sin  and  blas- 
phemy shall  be  forgiven  unto  men:  but  the  blasphemy 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto  men.  And 
whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall 
be-  forgiven  him :  but  whosoever  speaketh  against  the  Holy 
Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world, 
neither  in  the  world  to  come. — Matthew  12 :  31,  32. 

This  leaves  the  inference  that  both  in  this  world 
and  the  world  to  come  all  sins  but  the  one  named 
may  be  forgiven.  This  means  an  extended  proba- 
tion beyond  this  life;  but  some  one  may  raise  the 
point  here,  that  this  text  declares,  substantially,  that 
the  punishment  of  these  blasphemers  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  will  never  end — from  their  hell  there 
will  be  no  escape.  It  does  not  say  that.  It  simply 
says  they  shall  not  be  forgiven.  If  a  man  pays  the 
uttermost  "farthing"  either  in  cash  or  its  equiva- 
lent in  punishment,  he  can  not  be  said  to  be  forgiven. 
God  says  of  certain  ones,  'Though  they  dig  unto 
hell,  thence  shall  my  hand  take  them."  (Amos 
9:  2.) 

From  Revelation  20:  13  we  learn  that  death  and 
hell  are  finally  to  deliver  up  the  dead  which  are  in 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  223 

them,  and  all  are  to  appear  for  judgment.  In  the 
next  verse  we  are  told  that  hell  itself  will  then  be  dis- 
posed of,  for  it  is  to  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire. 
Its  purpose  will  then  have  been  served,  and  it  will 
be  no  longer  continued.  It  is  simply  a  place  of 
incarceration  for  the  spirits  of  the  ungodly  between 
death  and  the  resurrection,  and  after  the  resurrec- 
tion it  can  serve  no  purpose  and  will  be  disposed  of 
as  above. 

During  its  continuance,  however,  it  is  to  be  vis- 
ited by  Christ,  and  the  gospel  is  to  be  preached  to 
its  inmates.  In  supporting  this  statement,  we  will 
arrange  our  evidence  under  three  heads,  as  follows : 
1.  Christ's  mission  to  hell,  the  pit,  or  prison-house 
predicted.  2.  Christ  accepted  the  work.  3.  He 
went  to  hell  and  preached  the  gospel.  We  have 
already  directed  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
"strong  among  the  mighty"  was  to  speak  out  of  the 
midst  of  hell.  (Ezekiel  32:  21.)  We  now  proceed 
to  furnish  evidence  that  such  a  mission  was 
prophesied  for  Christ.  Note  carefully  every  sen- 
tence, please : 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the  Lord 
shall  punish  the  host  of  the  high  ones  that  are  on  high, 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  upon  the  earth.  And  they  shall 
be  gathered  together,  as  prisoners  are  gathered  in  the  pit, 
and  shall  be  shut  up  in  the  prison,  and  after  many  days 
shall  they  be  visited. — Isaiah  24 :  21,  22. 

I  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  will  hold 
thine  hand,  and  will  keep  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant 
of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  Gentiles;  to  open  the  blind 
eyes,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners  from  the  prison,  and  them 
that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison-house. — Isaiah  42 :  6,  7. 

And  he  said,  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my 


224  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the 
preserved  of  Israel:  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the 
Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  end  of 
the  earth.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  and 
his  Holy  One,  to  him  whom  man  despiseth,  to  him  whom 
the  nation  abhorreth,  to  a  servant  of  rulers,  kings  shall 
see  and  arise,  princes  also  shall  worship,  because  of  the  Lord 
that  is  faithful,  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  he  shall 
choose  thee.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  an  acceptable  time 
have  I  heard  thee,  and  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped 
thee:  and  I  will  preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  cove- 
nant of  the  people,  to  establish  the  earth,  to  cause  to  inherit 
the  desolate  heritages :  that  thou  mayest  say  to  the  prisoners, 
Go  forth;  to  them  that  are  in  darkness,  Show  yourselves* 
They  shall  feed  in  the  ways,  and  their  pastures  shall  be  in 
all  high  places. — Isaiah  49 :  6-9. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me;  because  the  Lord 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek;  he 
hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them 
that  are  bound;  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God;  to  comfort  all 
that  mourn. — Isaiah  61 :  1,  2. 

As  for  thee  also,  by  the  blood  of  thy  covenant  I  have  sent 
forth  thy  prisoners  out  of  the  pit  wherein  is  no  water.  Turn 
you  to  the  strong  hold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope:  even  to-day  do 
I  declare  that  I  will  render  double  unto  thee. — Zechariah 
9:  11,  12. 

Here  is  proof  that  the  mission  of  Christ  in  raising 
up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  restoring  the  preserved 
of  Israel  was  to  be  a  "light  thing"  compared  with 
his  mission  to  the  Gentiles  and  to  the  prison-house 
and  in  giving  liberty  to  the  captives  and  redemp- 
tion to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  blood  of  his  cove- 
nant was  to  secure  release  for  the  "prisoners  of 
hope,"  who  were  held  in  "the  pit  wherein  is  no 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  225 

water."  This  latter  statement  makes  one  instinct- 
ively identify  that  pit  with  the  hell  from  which  the 
"rich  man"  cried  for  Lazarus  to  dip  the  tip  of  his 
finger  in  water  to  touch  and  cool  his  parched 
tongue.  Such  was  the  mission  predicted.  Did  Jesus 
so  understand  and  accept  it  ?  Let  us  read  and  learn : 

And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought  up: 
and,  as  his  custom  was,  he  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the 
.Sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read.  And  there  was 
delivered  unto  him  the  book  of  the  prophet  Esaias.  And 
when  he  had  opened  the  book,  he  found  the  place  where  it 
was  written,  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;  he  hath 
sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to 
the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at 
liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord.  And  he  closed  the  book,  and  he  gave  it  again 
to  the  minister,  and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  them 
that  were  in  the  synagogue  were  fastened  on  him.  And  he 
began  to  say  unto  them,  This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled 
in  your  ears. — Luke  4:  16-21. 

All  will  identify  this  scripture  with  Isaiah  61 :  1,  2, 
given  above,  and  note  that  Jesus  applied  it  to  him- 
self, and  declared  it  was  being  fulfilled  in  their  day. 
It  will  not  do  for  people  to  say  that  this  deliverance 
to  the  captives,  opening  of  the  prison-house,  and 
saying  to  the  prisoners,  "Go  forth,"  was  merely 
liberating  men  from  the  serfdom  of  sin — a  spiritual 
deliverance — for  this  passage  is  quoted  from  Isaiah, 
and  we  have  shown  from  several  parts  of  his 
prophecy  that  there  was  a  place  into  which  the 
haughty  and  great  and  disobedient  of  earth  were  to 
be  gathered  as  prisoners — the  pit — and  there  they 
were  to  be  visited  after  many  days.  This  could  not 


226  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

be  on  earth,  for  they  were  to  be  gathered  from  the 
earth  into  said  pit;  it  was  a  place  where  no  water 
was  to  be  found.  But  listen  again  to  Jesus : 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  hour  is  coming,  and 
now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God : 
and  they  that  hear  shall  live. — John  5:25. 

This  makes  clear  the  question  of  who  were  in  the 
prison-house — those  who  had  not  yet  heard,  but 
must  hear  his  voice.  Jesus  was  talking  about  those 
actually  dead,  whose  spirits  were  in  the  prison,  and 
whose  bodies  were  in  the  grave,  as  may  be  seen  by 
reference  to  verses  twenty-eight  and  twenty-nine. 
Thus  it  is  clear  that  he  understood,  accepted,  and 
proclaimed  his  mission  to  the  dead — the  prison- 
house.  This  brings  us  to  the  final  proposition :  Did 
he  go  there?  Again  we  go  to  the  good  book  for 
evidence : 

Because  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt 
thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. — Acts  2 :  27. 

His  soul  was  not  left  in  hell,  neither  his  flesh  did  see  cor- 
ruption.— Acts  2:31. 

These  refer  to  Christ,  as  the  context  clearly  shows, 
and  from  them  we  learn  that  he  was  to  go  and  did 
go  to  hell;  but  did  not  remain  sufficiently  long  to 
allow  him  [his  body]  to  see  corruption. 

Wherefore  he  saith,  When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led 
captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  (Now  that  he 
ascended,  what  is  it  but  that  he  also  descended  first  into 
the  lower  parts  of  the  earth?  He  that  descended  is  the  same 
also  that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens,  that  he  might 
fill  all  things.) — Ephesians  4:  8-10. 

Here  we  have  his  descent  into  the  lower — "nether 
parts  of  the  earth"  announced,  and  for  the  reason 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  227 

stated,  "that  he  might  fill  all  things" ;  that  he  might 
fulfill  all  the  scriptures  relating  to  his  mission; 
and  that  when  finally  ascending  he  might  "lead 
captivity  captive,"  having  first  freed  the  captives. 
Again  we  read: 

For  Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for 
the  unjust,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to 
death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit:  by  which  also 
he  went  and  preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison;  which 
sometime  were  disobedient,  when  once  the  longsuffering  of 
God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah.— 1  Peter  3 :  18-20. 

Who  shall  give  account  to  him  that  is  ready  to  judge  the 
quick  and  the  dead.  For,  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel 
preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead,  that  they  might  be 
judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according  to 
God  in  the  spirit. — 1  Peter  4:5,  6. 

How  plain  this  is!  Jesus  is  to  be  judge  of  the 
"quick"  (living)  and  "the  dead,"  and  for  this  cause 
(that  he  may  be  able  to  justly  judge  the  dead)  was 
the  gospel  preached  to  them  as  well  as  to  the  living. 
He  could  not  judge  them  by  a  gospel  they  had  not 
heard,  and  hence  he  went  and  preached  it  to  them, 
for  it  is  the  word  of  Christ — the  gospel  that  is  to  be 
the  basis  of  his  final  judgment,  as  is  shown  in  the 
following : 

God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ  accord- 
ing to  my  gospel. — Romans  2:  16.  The  word  that  I  have 
spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day. — John 
12:48. 

How  could  they  hear  that  gospel  without  a 
preacher  (see  Romans  10:  14),  and  how  could  they 
answer  to  an  opportunity  which  had  never  been 
given  them?  Herein  is  revealed  the  love  and  justice 
of  our  Master,  who  himself  took  that  message  to 


228  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

them.  Up  to  that  time  the  "gates  of  hell"  had  been 
closed  against  all  forces  of  God,  but  Jesus  had  said 
that  they  should  not  prevail  against  his  church — 
its  mission  and  power  would  penetrate  that  dark 
region.  He  himself  pioneered  the  work  of  forcing  the 
"gates  of  hell"  and  extending  his  dominion  over  hell 
and  death,  and  after  coming  fc  rth  a  conqueror  over 
both,  he  appeared  before  John  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos, 
and  said : 

I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive 
for  ever  more,  Amen;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of 
death. — Revelation  1 :  18. 

Those  keys  were  wrenched  by  him  from  "him  that 
had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  -the  Devil." 
(Hebrews  2:14.)  The  "gates  of  hell"  could  not 
prevail ;  they  were  compelled  to  yield,  and  Jesus  took 
the  keys  into  his  own  hand,  that  henceforth  the  gos- 
pel might  be  made  accessible  to  the  inhabitants  of 
both  earth  and  hell,  and  both  have  equal  privilege  to 
hear  and  obey. 

Let  us  now  reason  a  little  upon  a  few  other  points 
which  relate  hereto.  Paul  says  that  God  "hath  made 
of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times 
before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habita- 
tion." (Acts  17:26.) 

Hence,  we  all  occupy  on  earth  under  the  pre- 
arrangement  of  God  as  to  time  and  locality.  The 
Chinamen,  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  the  British,  the 
Americans,  those  of  the  patriarchal,  prophetic,  or 
gospel  age — two  thousand  years  ago  or  now.  God 
is  responsible  for  the  times  and  bounds  of  habitation 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  229 

of  all  men  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  He 
knew  where  and  when  gospel  privileges  would 
abound,  and  where  and  when  they  would  not.  This 
is  point  No.  1.  Next,  let  us  note  that  he  ordained 
but  one  means  of  salvation,  as  per  the  following 
testimony : 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life:  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me. — John 
14:6. 

Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other:  for  there  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men,  whereby  we 
must  be  saved. — Acts  4:  12. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God. — John  3 :  5. 

For  whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  saved.  How  then  shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they 
have  not  believed?  and  how  shall  they  believe  in  him  of 
whom  they  have  not  heard?  and  how  shall  they  hear  with- 
out a  preacher?  and  how  shall  they  preach,  except  they  be 
sent?— Romans  10:  13-15. 

Only  within  the  gospel  of  Christ  can  salvation  be 
found,  according  to  this,  and  it  must  be  proclaimed 
by  a  God-sent  preacher.  This  makes  point  No.  2. 
Next  we  proceed  to  show  that  the  Scriptures  plainly 
teach  that  all  shall  hear  that  gospel ;  to-wit : 

And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me. — John  12 :  32. 

For  therefore  we  both  labor  and  suffer  reproach,  because 
we  trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Savior  of  all  men, 
specially  of  those  that  believe. — 1  Timothy  4:  10. 

But  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels  for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor;  that  he  by  the  grace  of  God  should  taste  death  for 
every  man. — Hebrews  2 :  9. 


230  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be 
made  alive. — 1  Corinthians  15 :  22. 

Who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due 
time.— 1  Timothy  2 :  6. 

Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession. — Psalm  2 :  8. 

Lengthy  comment  on  this  is  needless.  Jesus  was 
to  be  the  Savior  of  all  men — a  ransom  for  all,  to  be 
testified  of  in  due  time. 

With  these  three  points  fixed  before  us,  let  us 
reason  in  the  light  they  cast  upon  the  situation  we 
are  discussing.  It  is  well  known  that  not  one  third 
of  earth's  inhabitants  have  even  heard  of  such  a 
person  as  Jesus,  or  of  his  gospel.  With  this  fact 
before  us,  and  the  arrangement  that  salvation 
only  comes  by  that  gospel,  how  are  the  scriptures 
which  declare  that  all  shall  be  reached  thereby  to  be 
fulfilled  if  there  is  no  chance  for  hearing  after  death? 
How  shall  the  millions  who  passed  away  without 
hearing  it  be  saved  by  it?  Remember  that  the 
bounds  and  times  of  our  earthly  habitation  were 
determined  beforetime  by  God.  Hence  the  heathen 
is  not  to  blame  for  not  having  heard  the  message. 
The  Hindoo  is  free  from  condemnation  until  he 
hears,  for  Jesus  said:  "This  is  the  condemnation, 
that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved 
darkness  rather  than  light." — John  3 :  19. 

Millions  of  these  have  been  swept  by  death  from 
earth's  stage  without  hearing,  yet  all  are  to  hear! 
Where  and  when  if  not  after  death?  Does  it  not 
look  from  the  above  combination  of  scriptures  as  if 
it  was  a  part  of  the  prearrangement  that  all  should 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  231 

not  hear  in  this  life?  Does  not  justice  demand  that 
such  as  failed  here  shall  have  opportunity  hereafter  ? 
Surely  it  does,  and  that  we  may  know  that  God  is 
just,  he  has  taken  pains  to  inform  us  of  his  plans 
through  Jesus  Christ. 

Jesus,  by  asking,  is  to  have  "the  heathen  for  thine 
[his]  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  thy  [his]  possession."  (Psalm  2:  8.) 

The  Lord  has  sworn: 

As  I  live,  .  .  .  every  knee  shall  bow  to  me,  and  every 
tongue  shall  confess  to  God. — Romans  14:  11. 

God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name:  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth, 
and  things  under  the  earth;  and  that  every  tongue  should 
confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father. — Philippians  2:9-11. 

This  is  to  be  the  glorious  outcome  of  the  mission 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Hence  our  text  is  true.  The  "gates 
of  hell"  can  not  "prevail"  against  the  onward  march 
and  extending  dominion  of  the  church  of  Christ.  Its 
conquests  are  to  be  gained  on  earth  and  in  hell, 
hence  Jesus  led  on  in  the  grand  movement  as  the 
"Captain  of  our  salvation."  He  forced  the  gates  of 
hell  and  entered  and  "preached  deliverance  to  the 
captives."  He  returned  and  took  his  body  from  the 
tomb,  and  rose  triumphant.  He  appeared  thereafter 
to  many  on  earth,  and  later  to  John  in  vision  upon 
Patmos,  to  whom  he  declared  himself  to  be  the 
possessor  of  the  keys  of  death  and  hell.  He  went 
where  those  keys  were,  and  seized  them  from  the 
enemy's  hand.  Hence  he  it  is  that  "openeth  and  no 
man  shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man  openeth." 


232  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

He  told  the  truth,  after  gaining  such  a  conquest, 
when  he  said:  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth."  He  began  the  gospel  work  on 
earth,  and  inaugurated  the  order  for  its  continuance. 
He  then  pushed  his  work  into  hell,  and  doubtless 
provided  there  for  continued  work.  He  then 
ascended  on  high,  and  led  "captivity  captive."  "All 
hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name!"  Glorious  King! 
Blessed  truth !  Holy  church ! 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  233 


The  Book  of  Mormon. 


Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth. — Psalm  85 :  11. 

And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold :  them 
also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd. — John  10 :  16. 

Has  this  strange  book  any  place  among  us  by 
divine  right?  Is  it  what  it  purports  to  be?  Does  it 
aid  in  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  faith? 
Will  the  Bible  help  us  to  answer  these  questions? 
Let  us  look  deep  into  it  and  see.  First,  let  us  hear 
the  claim  made  for  the  book  by  itself  and  its  advo- 
cates : 

Joseph  Smith  gave  it  to  the  world  in  printed  form 
in  the  year  1830.  He  said  he  had  translated  it  by 
the  inspiration  of  God  from  inscriptions  on  plates 
which  he  found,  by  the  direction  of  an  angel,  in  a 
hill  in  Western  New  York.  He  further  said  that  the 
angel  had  recited  several  passages  from  Isaiah  and 
other  places  in  the  Bible  in  his  hearing,  and  told 
him  that  they  referred  to  this  book;  that  it  con- 
tained the  history  of  a  people  God  once  had  upon 
this  continent,  and  that  when  it  came  forth,  the 
church  of  Christ  would  be  organized  again  on  earth 
with  its  ancient  gifts,  doctrine,  and  organization; 
that  in  a  little  while  Palestine  would,  after  its  cen- 


234  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

turies  of  barrenness,  become  fruitful,  the  Jews 
would  come  into  prominence  and  remembrance 
before  God  in  fulfillment  of  the  old  prophecies  con- 
cerning them,  and  they  would  begin  to  gather  back 
to  their  own  land,  which  would  be  built  up,  and  the 
way  would  be  prepared  thus  for  the  second  advent 
of  Jesus  to  this  earth ;  that  this  was  the  age  in  which 
the  "dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times"  was  to 
be  introduced ;  and  that  he,  Joseph,  if  faithful,  would 
be  chosen  to  lead  out  and  minister  as  a  servant  of 
God  in  this  wonderful  work. 

The  advice  of  Paul  is  that  we  "prove  all  things; 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  (1  Thessalonians 
5 :  21.)  Let  us  test  these  claims  of  Joseph  Smith  for 
the  Book  of  Mormon  by  the  Bible.  If  it  proves  to 
be  "good,"  let  us  "hold  fast"  to  it;  if  not,  let  us 
reject  it. 

To  get  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  matters  involved 
in  this  study,  we  must  go  back  and  consider  causes 
leading  up  to  them.  Hence,  we  will  turn  the  Bible 
pages  back  to  the  First  Book  of  Kings,  twelfth  chap- 
ter. Here  we  learn  that  because  of  the  refusal  of 
Rehoboam,  the  king,  to  make  lighter  the  burdens 
which  his  father  had  imposed  upon  the  people,  they 
revolted,  and  all  of  them,  except  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
made  Jeroboam  king  over  Israel.  Rehoboam 
reigned  over  Judah  only,  with  Jerusalem  as  his 
abode;  while  Jeroboam  reigned  over  all  the  other 
tribes,  with  Shechem  in  Mount  Ephraim  as  his 
headquarters.  That  was  the  first  great  division  of 
the  tribes. 

About  seven  hundred  and  twenty  vears  before 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  235 

Christ,  Shalmanezer,  king  of  Assyria,  came  and 
besieged  the  city  of  Samaria,  and  took  Israel  cap- 
tive to  Assyria.  (See  2  Kings  17 :  5,  6 ;  18 :  10-12 ; 
also,  if  you  are  curious,  read  2  Esdras  13:  40,  41.) 

About  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, king  of  Babylon,  came  up  against  Jeru- 
salem and  destroyed  it,  and  took  the  children  of 
Judah  captive  to  Babylon.  (See  2  Kings  25:  1-11.) 

After  about  seventy  years  of  this  captivity  in 
Babylon,  Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  made  proclama- 
tion that  the  Jews  should  return,  which  they  did, 
and  rebuilt  their  city  and  temple.  (See  Ezra,  first 
chapter,  and  Nehemiah,  seventh  chapter.)  They 
remained  there  until  about  the  year  70  of  the  Chris- 
tian Era,  when,  in  fulfillment  of  Christ's  prediction 
(see  Luke  21:  24),  they  were  again  besieged,  over- 
thrown, and  scattered  by  the  army  under  Titus, 
the  Roman  general.  They  were  then  dispersed 
among  all  nations. 

The  Israelites  who  were  taken  by  Shalmanezer  to 
Assyria,  with  the  exception  of  possibly  a  few  who 
got  mixed  with  Judah,  never  returned,  nor  is  their 
whereabouts  known  to  this  day.  From  that  time 
the  distinction  was  kept  up  between  the  two,  and 
we  read  of  them  as  the  "outcasts  of  Israel"  and  the 
"dispersed  of  Judah"  (Isaiah  11:  12),  because  the 
former  were  lost  to  the  knowledge  of  the  people, 
and  the  latter  were  dispersed  among  the  nations. 

From  this  condition  God  has  often  said  he  would 
regather  them.  We  will  not  give  space  here  to  the 
quotations,  but  simply  refer  you  to  Isaiah  1 :  24-26 ; 
60:15;  Jeremiah  30:18-24;  31:7-14;  33:6,  7; 


236  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

23 :  6-8 ;  Ezekiel  20 :  33-42 ;  28 :  25,  26 ;  Amos  9 :  9- 
15,  and  many  other  places. 

In  this  great  gathering  work  Ephraim  is  to  be  the 
first-born : 

Behold,  I  will  bring  them  from  the  north  country,  and 
gather  them  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth,  and  with  them 
the  blind  and  the  lame,  the  woman  with  child  and  her  that 
travaileth  with  child  together:  a  great  company  shall  return 
thither.  They  shall  come  with  weeping,  and  with  supplica- 
tions will  I  lead  them:  I  will  cause  them  to  walk  by  the 
rivers  of  waters  in  a  straight  way,  wherein  they  shall  not 
stumble:  for  I  am  a  father  to  Israel,  and  Ephraim  is  my 
first-born. — Jeremiah  31:  8,  9. 

In  the  accomplishment  of  the  work  God  will  set 
up  an  "ensign,"  or  "sign,"  or  standard: 

And  he  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and  shall 
assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  together  the  dis- 
persed of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. — Isaiah 
11:  12. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  lift  up  mine  hand 
to  the  Gentiles,  and  set  up  my  standard  to  the  people:  and 
they  shall  bring  thy  sons  in  their  arms,  and  thy  daughters 
shall  be  carried  upon  their  shoulders. — Isaiah  49 :  22. 

And  I  will  set  a  sign  among  them,  and  I  will  send  those 
that  escape  of  them  unto  the  nations,  to  Tarshish,  Pul,  and 
Lud,  that  draw  the  bow,  to  Tubal,  and  Javan,  to  the  isles 
afar  off,  that  have  not  heard  my  fame,  neither  have  seen 
my  glory;  and  they  shall  declare  my  glory  among  the  Gen- 
tiles.—Isaiah  66 :  19. 

God  is  to  make  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  (see 
Isaiah  66:  22)  as  a  climax  to  this  gathering.  This 
was  the  hope  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  (see  2  Peter 
3:  13),  and  as  the  gathering  of  Israel  is  to  be  unto 
Christ,  we  conclude  that  this  "standard,"  or 
"ensign,"  or  "sign"  will  be  the  gospel  of  Christ : 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  237 

The  scepter  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver 
from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come;  and  unto  him 
shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be. — Genesis  49 :  10. 

That  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times  he  might 
gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are 
in  heaven,  and  which  are  on  earth;  even  in  him. — Ephesians 
1:  10. 

By  the  preaching  of  this  gospel  Jesus  sought  to 
gather  them  in  his  day,  but  they  would  not : 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and 
stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth 
her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not. — Matthew 
23:37. 

He  also  said  that  the  preaching  of  "this  gospel" 
would  be  a  sign  of  his  coming  and  of  the  end  of  the 
world.  The  gospel  is  the  only  message  which  is  to 
be  sent  out  in  the  last  days  to  invite  a  gathering  to 
the  marriage  supper.  These  messengers  evidently 
will  be  the  "ensign"  bearers.  How  closely  their 
commission  agrees  with  that  of  those  referred  to 
by  Jeremiah!  Here  they  are,  side  by  side: 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  the  servant,  Go  out  into  the  high- 
ways and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house 
may  be  filled. — Luke  14 :  23. 

Behold,  I  will  send  for  many  fishers,  saith  the  Lord,  and 
they  shall  fish  them;  and  after  will  I  send  for  many  hunters, 
and  they  shall  hunt  them  from  every  mountain,  and  from 
every  hill,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the  rocks. — Jeremiah 
16:16. 

To  appreciate  the  force  and  beauty  of  these  com- 
parisons, you  must  read  the  context  in  each  case; 
both  are  bearing  on  the  final  gathering  to  Christ; 
hence  it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  they  are  identical. 
"The  highways  and  hedges,"  said  Jesus;  "moun- 


238  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

tain"  and  "hill"  and  "holes  in  the  rocks,"  said  God 
through  Jeremiah.  The  same  errand,  the  same 
gathering  center,  and  the  same  work  of  ferreting 
the  people  out,  show  that  the  eyes  of  Jeremiah  and 
the  eyes  of  Christ  were  upon  the  same  work  and  the 
same  "ensign"  or  "standard"  bearers. 

But  let  us  search  out  more  about  them  and  their 
ensign : 

Moreover,  thou  son  of  man,  take  thee  one  stick,  and  write 
upon  it,  For  Judah,  and  for  the  children  of  Israel  his  com- 
panions: then  take  another  stick,  and  write  upon  it,  For 
Joseph,  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all  the  house  of  Israel 
his  companions:  and  join  them  one  to  another  into  one 
stick;  and  they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand.  And  when 
the  children  of  thy  people  shall  speak  unto  thee,  saying,  Wilt 
thou  not  show  us  what  thou  meanest  by  these?  say  unto 
them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Behold,  I  will  take  the 
stick  of  Joseph,  which  is  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,  and  the 
tribes  of  Israel  his -fellows,  and  will  put  them  with  him,  even 
with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and  make  them  one  stick,  and  they 
shall  be  one  in  mine  hand.  And  the  sticks  whereon  thou 
writest  shall  be  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes. — Ezekiel 
37:16-20. 

This  is  to  be  followed  by  a  gathering  together  of 
the  hosts  of  Israel  and  their  establishment  as  a 
united  people  upon  their  ancient  land,  never  again 
to  be  scattered.  (See  the  following  verses.)  The 
"sticks"  here  spoken  of,  which  by  their  being  united 
in  the  last  days  are  to  become  a  sign  and  a  har* 
binger  of  the  final  gathering,  are  simply  records. 
The  stick  of  Judah  is  the  history  of  Judah  and  of 
God's  dealings  with  him.  It  is  the  Bible.  The  "stick 
of  Ephraim,"  afterwards  called  the  "stick  of  Jos- 
eph," is  the  record  or  history  of  Ephraim  or  Joseph. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  239 

It  is  to  be  found  in  the  "hand"  or  possession  or  land 
of  Ephraim,  and  is  to  be  taken  with  the  tribes  it 
tells  of  and  placed  into  the  same  hands  which  hold 
the  stick  of  Judah,  and  they  are  to  become  one — one 
in  testimony,  purpose,  operation,  and  in  fact.  The 
testimony  of  these  two  records  or  sticks  must  agree, 
or  they  could  not  be  united  and  effective  in  influenc- 
ing the  gathering  of  Israel  that  is  to  follow.  The 
stick  of  Judah  contains  a  history  of  Judah  and  the 
law  of  God— the  gospel  of  Christ.  Will  the  "stick" 
or  record  of  Ephraim  or  Joseph  contain  his  law? 

Because  Ephraim  hath  made  many  altars  to  sin,  altars 
shall  be  unto  him  to  sin.  I  have  written  to  him  the  great 
things  of  my  law,  but  they  were  counted  as  a  strange  thing. 
— Hosea  8:  11,  12. 

This  indicates  that  Ephraim  had  been  supplied 
with  the  law  of  God,  and  this  would  imply  further, 
that  he  was  separated  far  from  his  brethren  of 
Judah  at  the  time,  otherwise  a  separate  writing 
would  have  been  unnecessary. 

But  where  or  in  what  direction  shall  we  turn  to 
search  for  Ephraim's  "hand"  or  land?  Where  has 
he  located  himself?  Perhaps  the  "stick  of  Judah" 
will  give  us  a  few  hints.  Let  us  see. 

They  shall  walk  after  the  Lord:  he  shall  roar  like  a  lion: 
when  he  shall  roar,  then  the  children  shall  tremble  from  the 
west. — Hosea  11 :  10. 

This  refers  to  Ephraim,  as  the  preceding  verse 
shows,  and  it  directs  our  eyes  westward  from  Pales- 
tine in  our  search  for  him.  That  is  one  point  gained, 
and  a  good  one.  Now  for  another : 

And  he  blessed  Joseph,  and  said,  God,  before  whom  my 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  did  walk,  the  God  which  fed  me 


240  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

all  my  life  long  unto  this  day,  the  Angel  which  redeemed 
me  from  all  evil,  bless  the  lads;  and  let  my  name  be  named 
on  them,  and  the  name  of  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac; 
and  let  them  grow  into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth.  And  when  Joseph  saw  that  his  father  laid  his  right 
hand  upon  the  head  of  Ephraim,  it  displeased  him:  and  he 
held  up  his  father's  hand,  to  remove  it  from  Ephraim's  head 
unto  Manasseh's  head.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  father, 
Not  so,  my  father:  for  this  is  the  first-born;  put  thy  right 
hand  upon  his  head.  And  his  father  refused,  and  said,  I 
know  it,  my  son,  I  know  it:  he  also  shall  become  a  people, 
and  he  also  shall  be  great:  but  truly  his  younger  brother 
shall  be  greater  than  he,  and  his  seed  shall  become  a  mul- 
titude of  nations.  And  he  blessed  them  that  day,  saying, 
In  thee  shall  Israel  bless,  saying,  God  make  thee  as  Ephraim, 
and  as  Manasseh:  and  he  set  Ephraim  before  Manasseh. 
—Genesis  48:  15-20. 

Joseph  is  a  fruitful  bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a 
well;  whose  branches  run  over  the  wall:  the  archers  have 
sorely  grieved  him,  and  shot  at  him,  and  hated  him:  but 
his  bow  abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  were 
made  strong  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob;  (from 
thence  is  the  shepherd,  the  stone  of  Israel:)  even  by  the 
God  of  thy  father,  who  shall  help  thee;  and  by  the  Almighty, 
who  shall  bless  thee  with  blessings  of  heaven  above,  blessings 
of  the  deep  that  lieth  under,  blessings  of  the  breasts,  and  of 
the  womb:  the  blessings  of  thy  father  have  prevailed  above 
the  blessings  of  my  progenitors  unto  the  utmost  bound  of 
the  everlasting  hills:  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph, 
and  on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separate  from 
his  brethren. — Genesis  49 :  22-26. 

And  of  Joseph  he  said,  Blessed  of  the  Lord  be  his  land, 
for  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  for  the  dew,  and  for  the 
deep  that  coucheth  beneath,  and  for  the  precious  fruits 
brought  forth  by  the  sun,  and  for  the  precious  things  put 
forth  by  the  moon,  and  for  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient 
mountains,  and  for  the  precious  things  of  the  lasting  hills, 
and  for  the  precious  things  of  the  earth  and  fullness  thereof, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  241 

and  for  the  good  will  of  him  that  dwelleth  in  the  bush:  let 
the  blessing  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  upon  the 
top  of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his  brethren. 
His  glory  is  like  the.  firstling  of  his  bullock,  and  his  horns 
are  like  the  horns  of  unicorns:  with  them  he  shall  push  the 
people  together  to  the  ends  of  the  earth:  and  they  are  the 
ten  thousands  of  Ephraim,  and  they  are  the  thousands  of 
Manasseh. — Deuteronomy  33 :  13-17. 

Some  remarkable  things  are  found  in  these  refer- 
ences: 1.  A  special  blessing  upon  Ephraim.  He 
was  to  grow  into  "multitude  of  nations"  "in  the 
midst  of  the  earth."  2.  The  blessing  which  Jacob 
had  secured  "prevailed  above"  that  of  his  progeni- 
tors, and  was  put  upon  the  head  of  Joseph  and  his 
posterity.  The  blessing  of  Jacob's  progenitors  was 
confined  to  the  land  of  Palestine  for  an  everlasting 
inheritance;  but  this  one  put  upon  the  head  of 
Joseph  and  his  seed  was  to  extend  "to  the  utmost 
boui,d  of  the  everlasting  hills."  Joseph  was  to  be  a 
"fruitful  bough,"  and  his  "branches" — offspring — 
were  to  "run  over  the  wall"  (the  sea  was  supposed 
to  be  the  wall  that  limited  or  confined  them).  3. 
The  land  or  possession  of  Joseph's  seed  was  to  be 
a  notable  one  for  the  blessings  of  heaven  upon  it 
and  the  precious  things  its  mountains  and  hills 
would  yield,  also  the  products  of  its  soil ;  and  all  this 
was  to  be  given  to  the  seed  of  Joseph,  and  there  he 
was  to  perform  his  part  as  a  pioneer — as  the  "horns 
of  unicorns,"  in  pushing  together  the  people  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 

We  have  already  shown  that  Ephraim,  the  son  of 
Joseph,  was  to  be  the  first-born  in  the  work  of  final 
gathering,  and  here  we  have  it  repeated,  and  here 


242  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

are  to  be  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim  and  the 
thousands  of  Manasseh.  Here  we  have  several 
points,  and  now  we  know  that  in  our  search  for  Eph- 
raim's  land  we  are  to  look,  first,  westward  from 
Palestine;  second,  over  the  wall  or  sea;  third,  to 
the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting  hills ;  fourth,  to 
a  land  remarkable  for  the  wealth  of  its  mountains, 
the  products  of  its  soil,  and  the  blessings  produced 
by  sun  and  moon — the  blessings  of  heaven  (the 
things  of  God) ,  and  other  things ;  but  this  is  enough. 
This  surely  will  enable  the  reader,  who  stands  in 
imagination  in  Palestine  and  looks  westward  on  the 
map,  to  locate  the  American  continent  as  the  only 
possible  land  that  can  meet  the  requirements.  But 
we  read  further: 

Woe  to  the  land  shadowing  with  wings,  which  is  beyond 
the  rivers  of  Ethiopia:  that  sendeth  ambassadors  by  the  sea, 
even  in  vessels  of  bulrushes  upon  the  waters,  saying,  Go,  ye 
swift  messengers,  to  a  nation  scattered  and  peeled,  to  a 
people  terrible  from  their  beginning  hitherto;  a  nation  meted 
out  and  trodden  down,  whose  land  the  rivers  have  spoiled! 
All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  on  the  earth, 
see  ye,  when  he  lifteth  up  an  ensign  on  the  mountains;  and 
when  he  bloweth  a  trumpet,  hear  ye. — Isaiah  18:  1-3. 

This  describes  a  land  just  as  America  appears  on 
the  map — "shadowing  with  wings,"  and  locates  it 
beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia,  or  Africa,  from  Pales- 
tine, and  again  lands  us  in  America,  and  moreover 
it  tells  us  that  upon  that  land  the  "ensign"  is  to  be 
set  up,  and  to  be  carried  finally  to  that  nation  "scat- 
tered and  peeled" — trodden  down,  etc.  Instinctively 
one  identifies  the  dispersed  of  Judah  and  the  out- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  243 

casts  of  Israel  by  this  description.    But  let  us  dip 
again  into  the  reservior  of  information : 

Thou  hast  brought  a  vine  out  of  Egypt:  thou  hast  cast 
out  the  heathen,  and  planted  it.  Thou  preparedst  room  before 
it,  and  didst  cause  it  to  take  deep  root,  and  it  filled  the  land. 
The  hills  were  covered  with  the  shadow  of  it,  and  the  boughs 
thereof  were  like  the  goodly  cedars.  She  sent  out  her  boughs 
unto  the  sea,  and  her  branches  unto  the  river. — Psalm 
80:8-11. 

For  the  fields  of  Heshbon  languish,  and  the  vine  of  Sib- 
mah:  the  lords  of  the  heathen  have  broken  down  the  prin- 
cipal plants  thereof,  they  are  come  even  unto  Jazer,  they 
wandered  through  the  wilderness:  her  branches  are 
stretched  out,  they  are  gone  over  the  sea. — Isaiah  16 :  8. 

O  vine  of  Sibmah,  I  will  weep  for  thee  with  the  weeping 
of  Jazer :  thy  plants  are  gone  over  the  sea. — Jeremiah  48 :  32. 

From  Numbers  32 :  33,  37,  38  we  learn  that  Hesh- 
bon and  Sibmah  were  occupied  by  the  seed  of  Joseph 
and  Reuben ;  and  from  1  Chronicles  5 :  1  we  discover 
that  though  Reuben  was  the  first-born  of  Jacob,  yet 
because  he  defiled  his  father's  bed,  his  birthright 
was  given  to  the  sons  of  Joseph.  Hence  we  can 
understand  from  the  above  whose  "branches"  went 
over  the  sea  from  Heshbon  and  Sibmah.  The  vine 
that  God  brought  from  Egypt,  the  country  into 
which  Joseph  was  sold,  was  planted  in  the  places 
named,  and  their  offspring  extended  over  the  sea — 
westward — to  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills,  where  Ephraim  was  to  grow  mightily,  and  to 
whom  the  law  of  God  was  written,  which,  in  the  last 
days,  was  to  be  taken  and  put  with  the  record  of 
Judah,  and  become  the  sign  or  ensign  upon  that  won- 
derful land,  and,  like  the  horns  of  a  unicorn,  be 


244  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

effective  in  gathering  the  people  according  to  the 
oft-repeated  promise  of  God. 

But  now,  having  found  the  "land,"  or  dwelling, 
or  possession  of  Ephraim,  and  that  upon  it  the 
"ensign"  is  to  be  raised,  and  that  it  is  to  be  in  the 
form  of  two  united  records,  containing  the  law  of 
God — the  gospel  and  the  power  of  gathering  the  peo- 
ple to  Christ — let  us  ask,  "How  is  it  to  make  its 
appearance?"  Let  the  Lord  tell  us  through  his 
inspired  servants: 

Mercy  and  truth  are  met  together ;  righteousness  and  peace 
have  kissed  each  other.  Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth; 
and  righteousness  shall  look  down  from  heaven. — Psalm 
85:10,  11. 

Drop  down,  ye  heavens,  from  above,  and  let  the  skies  pour 
down  righteousness:  let  the  earth  open,  and  let  them  bring 
forth  salvation,  and  let  righteousness  spring  up  together;  I 
the  Lord  have  created  it. — Isaiah  45 :  8. 

What  is  truth?  From  Psalm  119:  142,  151,  and 
John  17 :  17,  we  may  learn  that  it  is  the  law  of  God — 
the  commandments  of  God — the  word  of  God. 
These  are  truth,  and  "truth"  was  to  "spring  out  of 
the  earth";  by  the  truth  comes  salvation.  Hence 
these  texts  are  easy  to  be  understood.  God's  law 
was  to  come  forth  from  the  earth,  and  in  all  these 
passages  these  promises  are  connected  with  the 
great  gathering  and  restoration  work.  In  Isaiah  we 
have  the  following: 

And  thou  shalt  be  brought  down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of 
the  ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  be  low  out  of  the  dust,  and 
thy  voice  shall  be,  as  of  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  out 
of  the  ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of  the  dust. 
.  .  .  Stay  yourselves,  and  wonder;  cry  ye  out  and  cry:  they 
are  drunken,  but  not  with  wine;  they  stagger,  but  not  with 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  245 

strong  drink.  For  the  Lord  hath  poured  out  upon  you  the 
spirit  of  deep  sleep,  and  hath  closed  your  eyes:  the  prophets 
and  your  rulers,  the  seers  hath  he  covered.  And  the  vision 
of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that 
is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  say- 
ing, Read  this,  I  pray  thee:  and  he  saith,  I  can  not;  for 
it  is  sealed:  and  the  book  is  delivered  to  him  that  is  not 
learned,  saying,  Read  this,  I  pray  thee:  and  he  saith,  I  am 
not  learned.  Wherefore  the  Lord  said,  Forasmuch  as  this 
people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with  their  lips 
do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far  from  me, 
and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  precept  of  men: 
therefore,  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work 
among  this  people,  even  a  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder: 
for  the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the  under- 
standing of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid.  Woe  unto  them 
that  seek  deep  to  hide  their  counsel  from  the  Lord,  and  their 
works  are  in  the  dark,  and  they  say,  Who  seeth  us?  and  who 
knoweth  us?  Surely  your  turning  of  things  upside  down 
shall  b'e  esteemed  as  the  potter's  clay;  for  shall  the  work 
say  of  him  that  made  it,  He  made  me  not?  or  shall  the 
thing  framed  say  of  him  that  framed  it,  He  had  no  under- 
standing? Is  it  not  yet  a  very  little  while,  and  Lebanon 
shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field 
shall  be  esteemed  as  a  forest?  And  in  that  day  shall  the 
deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  book,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
shall  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of  darkness.  The  meek 
also  shall  increase  their  joy  in  the  Lord,  and  the  poor  among 
men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  For  the  terri- 
ble one  is  brought  to  nought,  and  the  scorner  is  consumed, 
and  all  that  watch  for  iniquity  are  cut  off:  that  make  a 
man  an  offender  for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare  for  him  that 
reproveth  in  the  gate,  and  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of 
nought.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  redeemed  Abra- 
ham, concerning  the  house  of  Jacob,  Jacob  shall  not  now  be 
ashamed,  neither  shall  his  face  now  wax  pale.  But  when  he 
seeth  his  children,  the  work  of  mine  hands,  in  the  midst  of 
him,  they  shall  sanctify  my  name,  and  sanctify  the  Holy  One 


246  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

of  Jacob,  and  shall  fear  the  God  of  Israel.  They  also  that 
erred  in  spirit  shall  come  to  understanding,  and  they  that 
murmured  shall  learn  doctrine. — Isaiah  29 :  4,  9-24. 

Read  the  introductory  verses  to  this,  and  see  that 
a  powerful  nation  had  been  brought  down  and  was 
later  to  speak  out  of  the  ground.  How  could  this 
be  except  by  its  record  thus  coming  forth.  It  was 
to  occur  at  a  time  when  the  religious  world  was 
"drunken" — not  with  wine,  but  with  bewildering 
doctrines  and  creeds;  prophets  and  seers  all  dead, 
and  the  fear  of  the  people  taught  by  the  precepts  of 
men  instead  of  by  revelation  from  God  or  the  word 
of  his  truth — the  Bible.  Those  who  "erred  in  spirit" 
were  to  come  to  understanding  because  of  this 
speech  from  the  dust — this  book  that  was  to  come 
forth,  and  those  who  murmured  (were  dissatisfied 
with  the  bedlam  of  theology,  so  called,  around  "them) 
were  to  learn  doctrine.  It  was  to  help  inaugurate 
the  great  gathering  and  restoration  work  of  the  last 
days,  when  Israel  is  to  inherit  her  own  land  and 
never  to  be  scattered  again.  It  is  to  appear  in  the 
form  of  "a  book,"  and  it  is  to  stagger  the  wisdom 
of  the  wise,  and  make  the  religion-f ramers  look  fool- 
ish in  the  face  of  their  own  Bible,  which  it  would 
explain.  The  deaf  are  to  hear  the  words  of  the  book 
(that  implies  that  it  is  to  be  preached,  for  "How 
shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?"),  and  the  blind 
are  to  see  out  of  obscurity.  Truly  "a  marvelous 
work  and  a  wonder"  indeed ;  but  it  is  associated  with 
a  test  that  will  prove  it  true  or  false.  It  is  to  come 
forth  at  a  time  when  Palestine  was  a  barren  waste, 
but  in  "a  little  while"  Lebanon  was  to  become  a 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  247 

fruitful    field,    and    the    fruitful    field    was    to    be 
esteemed  as  a  forest. 

When  Joseph  Smith  said  the  angel  told  him  this 
last  item  would  be  fulfilled  soon  after  he  brought 
forth  the  hidden  or  buried  history  of  the  inhabitants 
of  this  'continent,  he  gave  the  world  a  splendid 
chance  to  prove  his  revelation  false,  if  it  was  false. 
The  world  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  and 
said  that  if  rope  enough  were  given  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  it  would  hang  itself  as  high  as  Haman, 
for  Palestine  would  never  become  fruitful  again. 
For  seventeen  hundred  years  it  had  lain  waste  under 
the  curse  the  rejection  of  Christ  brought  upon  it, 
and  that  curse  would  always  remain.  But  just 
twenty-three  years  from  the  issuance  of  the  book 
the  prediction  was  vindicated  in  its  claim  and  Pales- 
tine was  being  watered  again  with  the  "early  and 
latter  rains"  as  of  yore.  The  spell  of  long  centuries 
was  broken,  and  a  seal  was  set  upon  the  Book  of 
Mormon  so  divinely  that  human  skill  and  devilish 
ingenuity  has  never  been  able  to  disfigure  or  remove 
it.  The  grander  seal,  however,  which  has  confirmed 
the  book  has  been  put  within  the  hearts  of  those 
who  have  accepted  it  as  an  added  testimony  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ  and  a  proof  of  the  divinity  of 
the  Bible.  To  such  it  has  performed  the  mission 
appointed  it,  as  shown  in  Isaiah  29;  in  increasing 
their  joy,  dispelling  their  doubts,  and  establishing 
them  in  the  truth  of  God.  The  Spirit's  seal  has  been 
put  upon  it  as  a  book  and  upon  its  work  in  union 
with  the  Bible,  as  the  "sticks"  in  the  hands  of  God 
by  which  he  shows  his  ancient  promise  true  and  his 


248  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

purpose  to  redeem  Israel  unchanged.  Nor  will  its 
blessed  work  be  stayed  till  Israel  and  Judah,  so  long 
separated,  shall  be  gathered  from  nations  known 
and  regions  unknown  to  us,  and  shall  together 
occupy  the  land  which  Moses  saw  from  Nebo's  sum- 
mit, which  Joshua  entered;  where  patriarchs  dwelt 
and  prophets  wrote ;  where  the  glory  of  the  Highest 
rested ;  and  where  once  more,  and  that  for  ever,  they 
shall  rejoice  in  the  abundance  of  peace  and  truth 
under  the  smile  and  protection  of  the  Messiah  they 
once  rejected,  but  later  learned  to  love. 

We  add  to  this  lengthy  discourse  two  quotations; 
the  first  from  the  stick  of  Judah — the  Bible — and 
the  other  from  the  stick  of  Ephraim  or  Joseph — 
the  Book  of  Mormon — and  by  uniting  these  two 
together  show  a  prophecy  made  and  fulfilled  by  our 
Lord  himself: 

And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold:  them 
also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd. — John  10:  16. 

And  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  are  they  of  whom  I 
said,  Other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold;  them 
also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd.  And  they  understood 
me  not,  for  they  supposed  it  had  been  the  Gentiles. — Book  of 
Nephi  7:2. 

These  last  words  were  addressed  to  the  people  of 
this  continent  to  whom  Jesus  appeared  after  his 
crucifixion  at  Jerusalem,  and  whom  he  organized 
into  a  church  and  endowed  with  all  the  blessings 
characteristic  of  his  gospel.  The  remnant  of  those 
people,  who  degenerated  afterward,  are  the  Indians 
of  North  America.  Many  other  passages  crowd 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  249 

upon  the  mind  as  we  prepare  this  sermon,  but  space 
is  not  at  our  command  for  them  all.  The  antiquities 
of  America  have  been  coming  to  light  for  half  a 
century,  and  numerous  volumes  now  load  the  shelves 
of  our  public  libraries,  and  from  these  may  be  gath- 
ered evidences  sufficient  to  surfeit  the  student  in  his 
search  for  proof  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true. 
None  of  these  books  were  written  before  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  none  of  them  have 
been  written  with  any  reference  to  it  or  with  a 
view  to  its  support,  except  possibly  one  or  two  small 
works  issued  by  the  church  that  accepts  the  book  as 
divine.  To  these  we  have  no  reference.  What  we 
have  presented  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  the 
subject,  and  will  perhaps  be  sufficient  to  influence 
some  honest  seeker  after  truth  to  read  the  Book  of 
Mormon  and  judge  of  its  merits  and  claims.  To 
those  who  are  of  opinion  from  reports  circulated 
that  the  book  teaches  or  in  any  way  sanctions 
polygamy,  or  any  kind  of  evil,  we  say  in  conclusion, 
all  such  stories  are  absolutely  and  unqualifiedly  false. 
Not  a  word  is  found  therein  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject, except  in  strong  denunciation  of  it  and  in 
warning  to  all  those  who  made  it  their  practice. 
Even  the  work  of  David  and  Solomon  in  that  regard 
is  declared  to  be  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  hell  is  threatened  as  the  coming  portion  of  those 
unrepentant.  Virtue  is  everywhere  extolled  and 
vice  condemned  in  it.  To  be  employed  in  its  advo- 
cacy and  defense  is  a  work  of  honor  and  worthy 
of  those  who  came  from  heaven  to  first  engage  in  it 
— the  angels  of  God. 


250  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Wounded  in  the  House  of  His  Friends. 


What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus  which  is  called  Christ? — 
Matthew  27 :  22. 

When  this  question  was  asked  by  Pilate,  the 
answer  came  promptly  from  the  people:  "Let  him 
be  crucified!"  This  demand  was  made  at  the  insti- 
gation of  their  ministers — the  chief  priests  and 
elders — as  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  twentieth 
verse.  It  was  a  terrible  spectacle.  To  say  nothing 
of  the  divinity  of  Christ's  work  and  mission,  it  was 
a  most  ignoble  thing  to  see  a  man  who  had  done 
nothing  but  good  consigned  to  a  horrible  death, 
and  to  hear  the  deafening  clamor  for  the  liberation 
of  a  thief  and  murderer  instead.  But  Barabbas  was 
the  man  the  priests  and  elders  told  them  to  ask  for, 
and  they  were  obedient.  What  a  terrible  mistake 
they  made !  To  what  terrible  extremes  of  barbarity 
and  crime  will  bigotry  and  ignorance  lead  poor 
mortals !  The  truest  and  best  Friend  humanity  ever 
had  was  thus  given  over  by  the  ruler  to  the  inflamed 
and  insane  caprice  of  a  mob,  and  that  mob  vocifer- 
ously demanded  that  he  be  murdered  and  his  blood 
be  left  upon  them  and  their  children.  But  Jesus 
understood  them,  and  told  the  truth  as  he  died  at 
their  hands,  when  he  said  to  his  Father  in  prayer, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  251 

"Forgive  them;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
Paul  wrote  to  the  Corinthians  that  had  the  people 
known  that  it  was  the  Lord  of  glory,  they  would  not 
have  crucified  him.  They  were  deplorably  ignorant 
and  trusted  to  their  priests  to  direct  them.  Their 
priests  were  also  blind,  and  both  plunged  into  the 
ditch. 

As  they  demanded,  the  blood  of  their  innocent 
victim  has  been  upon  them  as  a  race  ever  since,  and 
their  subsequent  scattering  and  distress,  their  reduc- 
tion from  the  pinnacle  of  national  greatness  to  the 
despicable  straits  in  which,  as  a  "hiss  and  a  byword 
among  all  nations,"  they  have  for  centuries  been 
compelled  to  remain,  is  in  evidence  that  they  cruci- 
fied a  Savior — the  prophet  and  Christ  of  their  Scrip- 
tures. 

Zechariah,  the  prophet,  tells  of  a  time  when  One 
shall  be  inquired  of  as  to  the  origin  of  the  wounds 
in  his  hands,  and  he  will  make  answer,  "Those  with 
which  I  was  wounded  in  the  house  of  my  friends." 
(See  Zechariah  13:  6,  7.)  Christendom  interprets 
this  scripture  as  relating  to  Christ,  and  anticipates 
a  day  of  consternation  and  grief  and  repentance  for 
the  Jews  when  the  truth  of  that  awful  revelation 
shall  dawn  upon  them,  and  they  shall  thereby  iden- 
tify their  final  Deliverer  and  long-prayed-for  Mes- 
siah with  the  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  they  "slew 
and  hanged  upon  a  tree."  Their  professed  reverence 
for  this  insulted  Jesus  has  furnished  a  supposed 
justification  to  the  Gentile  world  for  building  high 
the  walls  which  prevent  its  religious  intercourse 
with  the  Jew.  The  entire  world  of  believers  in  the 


252  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

New  Testament  stands  aghast  before  that  tragedy 
that  reveals  the  God-man  extended  upon  a  cross  of 
wood — bleeding  and  lacerated  and  torn  by  the  will 
of  the  Jews  and  at  the  instigation  of  their  rabbis 
and  teachers!  To  them  the  thought  of  friendship 
for  the  Messiah  being  found  among  the  murderers 
of  Jesus  is  almost  incomprehensible.  The  Jew  is 
accounted  by  them  to  be  the  enemy  of  Christ  because 
he  did  not  discern  that  Christ  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures  in  which  he  professed 
to  believe. 

But  my  purpose  in  this  discourse  is  to  ask  the 
world  of  Bible  believers — New  Testament  admirers 
by  profession — "What  shall  I  do  with  Jesus  which 
is  called  Christ?"  Be  it  remembered  that  I  am  not 
referring  to  the  flesh  or  body  of  Christ  which  the 
Jews  disposed  of;  that  is  beyond  our  reach.  We 
could  not  crown  nor  murder  that  if  we  would.  Still, 
we  have  Christ  with  us  in  his  declared  and  pub- 
lished truth,  for  he  said,  "I  am  the  truth."  The 
testimony  of  his  fleshly  lips  was  to  the  effect  that 
whosoever  received  those  whom  he  sent  to  proclaim 
that  truth  received  him  and  the  Father  also.  (See 
John  13:  20.)  It  was  not  the  treatment  he  person- 
ally received  at  the  hands  of  the  Jews  that  grieved 
him,  so  much  as  their  rejection  of  the  truth  he  came 
to  save  them  by.  That  truth  remains.  It  is  as  divine 
as  it  ever  was.  Jesus  said  (see  John  6:  32-63)  that 
he  was  the  "true  bread  from  heaven,"  which  must 
be  eaten  by  us  if  we  would  have  life ;  and  wound  up 
by  explaining  that  flesh  profited  nothing;  it  was  the 
spirit  that  quickened;  and  the  "words"  which  he 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  253 

spoke  were  "spirit  and  life."  It  was  and  is  the  mes- 
sage he  bore  that  he  presents  for  our  acceptance  and 
obedience,  and  in  that  message  God  and  Christ  are 
resident  as  literally  now  as  when  Jesus  was  on  earth 
in  the  flesh. 

Whosoever  transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ,  hath  not  God.  He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  he  hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son. — 2  John  9. 

From  this  verse  it  is  evident  that  God  and  Christ, 
in  the  sense  we  have  declared,  are  resident  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ — the  gospel — the  truth,  and  by 
accepting  that  doctrine  we  receive  Christ  and  God. 
Whatever  treatment  that  truth  receives,  God  and 
Christ  receive  at  our  hands.  We  may  coronate  it  by 
obedience  and  allowing  it  to  sanctify  us  in  godliness ; 
or  we  can  pierce  it  with  the  swords  of  our  theology ; 
or  mince  and  segregate  it,  appropriating  what  tickles 
our  fancy  and  discarding  and  murdering-  what  we 
do  not  admire.  We  may  make  our  creeds,  and  dis- 
sect the  Christ  doctrine  to  select  pieces  therefrom 
to  adorn  them,  and  then,  like  the  Ephesians,  cry  out, 
"Great  is  [our]  Diana!"  But  remember  that  what 
we  do  to  that  truth — that  doctrine — we  do  to  Christ 
and  God.  If  we  accept  it  in  its  divine  entirely, 
Christ  is  honored.  If  we  mutilate  it  by  addition, 
subtraction,  or  substitution,  Jesus  is  thereby  cruci- 
fied. 

In  Hebrews  6 :  6  Paul  tells  of  the  possibility  of 
crucifying  the  Son  of  God  afresh  and  putting  him  to 
an  open  shame.  This  we  know  could  not  refer  to 
any  attack  upon  the  flesh  of  Jesus;  it  must,  there- 


254  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

fore,  relate  to  the  Jesus  Christ  that  is  left  subject 
to  our  treatment.    It  must  be  his  truth. 

When  sending  out  his  chosen  ministers  after  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead,  Jesus  said,  see  Mat- 
thew 28 :  20 :  "Teaching  them  to  OBSERVE  ALL 
THINGS  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  Thus 
we  see  that  no  discretion  was  given  them  as  to  how 
much  or  what  portion  of  his  doctrine  they  should 
teach ;  they  were  to  teach  and  insist  upon  an  observ- 
ance of  ALL  things  he  had  commanded,  and  upon 
that  condition  and  no  other  did  he  promise  to  be 
with  them  to  "the  end  of  the  world." 

The  world  is  full  of  synagogues  or  chapels  to-day. 
Upon  and  within  these  are  to  be  found  the  name 
and  the  printed  word  of  God.  By  these  signs  one  is 
led  to  suppose,  upon  entering  them,  that  he  is  among 
the  "friends"  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  and  that  nothing 
but  error  and  evil  will  be  immolated  upon  the  altars 
there.  It  is  reasonably  supposable  that  in  such 
places  God  and  Christ,  as  found  resident  in  the  truth 
—the  gospel — will  be  honored  and  extolled.  There 
surely  are  no  crosses  there  upon  which  to  crucify 
any  part  of  the  Christ  that  has  been  trusted  to  our 
handling.  There  surely  is  no  inclination  to  repeat 
the  crime  of  the  Jew.  Such  a  thought  is  worse  than 
repulsive.  These  are  the  places  where  the  crime  of 
the  Jew  is  being  decried  and  the  lessons  from  his 
mistake  are  being  taught.  But,  terrible  as  may  be 
the  risk  of  inviting  popular  denunciation  upon  me 
that  I  take  in  so  doing,  I  unhestitatingly  assert  that 
Jesus  is  being  oftener  crucified  than  worshiped  in 
truth  in  such  places.  There  are  but  few  of  them, 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  255 

indeed,  where  a  man  will  be  allowed  to  hold  up  Jesus, 
as  revealed  in  his  complete  New  Testament  doctrine, 
and  insist  upon  his  being  worshiped  by  that  rule  of 
faith  and  obedience.  Such  a  man  would  be  as 
quickly  denounced  and  ejected  as  was  Jesus  and 
Paul  by  the  Jews.  Whatever  the  Jews  and  their 
leaders  liked  in  the  Christ  philosophy  they  imbibed ; 
what  encroached  upon  or  attempted  to  supplant  any 
part  of  their  traditions  or  former  beliefs,  they 
rejected.  From  John  8:  31-44  we  learn  that  many 
of  them  "believed  on  him,"  but  when  he  told  them 
they  could  not  be  his  disciples  except  they  should 
"continue"  in  his  "word,"  they  at  once  were  at  outs 
with  him,  and  he  gave  them  their  lineage,  as  shown 
in  the  forty-fourth  verse. 

I  once  entered  a  chapel  upon  which  the  name  of 
Christ  was  painted,  and  in  which  a  copy  of  the  Bible 
was  found.  I  was  there  to  preach  Christ  to  the 
people.  Taking  up  the  Bible  that  lay  upon  the  pul- 
pit, I  read  these  words  of  Jesus : 

Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe:  in  my  name  shall  they  cast 
out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues;  they  shall 
take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it 
shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and 
they  shall  recover. — Mark  16:  15-18. 

Later  I  read  as  follows : 

Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a 
man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God. — John  3 :  5. 

In  my  remarks  I  insisted  upon  a  belief  and  observ- 


256  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

ance  of  all  that  is  herein  declared  and  enjoined.  I 
did  not  put  it  into  their  Bible ;  I  simply  read  it,  and 
asked  them  to  accept  Jesus  as  he  there  represented 
himself,  as  it  must  be  the  truth,  or  Jesus  would 
never  have  so  spoken.  This  resulted  in  my  being 
denied  further  use  of  the  house,  and  was  followed 
by  a  loud  denunciation  from  that  pulpit  of  any 
church  or  doctrine  that  included  such  "stuff"  in  it. 
That  minister  had  denounced  the  elders  of  the  Jews 
for  persuading  the  people  to  reject  and  crucify 
Christ,  yet  he  deliberately,  as  the  professed  friend 
of  Jesus,  declared  that  there  was  no  place  for  that 
portion  of  Jesus  in  his  theology,  and  it  would  not  be 
allowed  mention  in  his  church  building.  I  grant  you 
that  that  theological  "spear"  did  not  pierce  the 
fleshly  side  of  Jesus,  but  Jesus,  as  resident  in  the 
"doctrine  of  Christ,"  was  stabbed  to  his  death  by  it, 
and  that  man,  as  one  of  the  chief  elders  of  his 
church,  advised  the  people  to  be  loyal  to  their  creed 
and  do  away  with  the  nonsense  I  had  advocated. 
Compare  that  procedure  with  Matthew  27 :  20,  and 
explain  to  me  the  difference,  if  you  can.  Paul  writes 
thus: 

And  thinkest  thou  this,  0  man,  that  judgest  them  which 
do  such  things,  and  doest  the  same,  that  thou  shalt  escape  the 
judgment  of  God? — Romans  2:3. 

Such  experiences  as  these  are  not  uncommon  to 
the  ministers  of  the  faith  we  are  contending  for. 
In  some  instances  they  have  been  carried  or  forced 
out  of  the  buildings,  and  in  one  instance  the  pastor 
advised  "his  people"  to  use  violence  to  drive  me  from 
the  town,  if  nothing  else  would  do. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  257 

The  agnostic  on  the  rostrum  or  in  the  press  may 
do  injury  to  the  cause  of  Christianity,  but  we  look 
for  nothing  better  there.  It  is  avowed  and  open. 
But  when  we  go  into  a  so-called  sanctuary  to  hear 
a  so-called  ambassador  of  Christ,  we  ought  to  be 
able  to  feel  safe  in  believing  that  any  word  of  Christ 
bearing  upon  any  subject  will  by  him  be  revered 
and  cherished  instead  of  being  immolated  upon  the 
altar  of  a  man-made  creed. 

In  the  Bible  I  find  that  faith,  repentance,  bap- 
tisms, the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  eternal  judgment,  angel  ministrations,  mira- 
cles, healings,  prophecy,  the  gift  of  tongues,  inter- 
pretation of  tongues,  discernment  of  spirits,  obedi- 
ence, sacrifice,  patience,  charity,  and  every  form  of 
godly  exercise  for  the  praise  of  God  and  the  better- 
ment of  man,  enters  into  the  obligations  and  experi- 
ence of  the  covenant  of  which  Christ  was  the 
mediator,  and  to  which  our  professed  faith  in  him 
pledges  us.  Where  these  are  ignored,  Christ  is  not 
honored;  and  if  it  occur  in  places  or  among  people 
who  profess  their  discipleship  to  him,  he  is  being 
betrayed  by  his  friends,  crucified  in  the  house  of 
his  declared  followers,  and  the  date  of  happening, 
whether  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  or  to-day, 
whether  in  Palestine  or  America,  by  Jew  or  by 
Gentile,  does  not  change  the  character  or  degree  of 
the  crime,  except  that  the  greater  the  light  is  the 
greater  the  condemnation  will  be. 

The  masses  of  to-day  do  not  read  the  Bible  for 
themselves,  but  leave  its  study  and  interpretation 
to  their  priests  and  ministers.  They  are  governed 


258  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

by  the  limitations  of  their  creeds  (or  gods)  made  by 
men,  and  as  a  result  the  masses  get  no  clearer  a 
view  of  Jesus  than  did  the  ancient  Jews.  Hence 
Jesus  is  sacrificed,  and  Diana  is  extolled.  The  deep 
wounds  and  mutilations  which  the  old  Jerusalem 
gospel  has  suffered  in  the  pulpits  of  Christendom 
at  the  hands  of  the  self-made  ministers  will  some 
day  be  exposed,  and  the  men  who  have  participated 
in  or  consented  to  that  crucifixion  work  will  be  com- 
pelled to  stand  side  by  side  with  ancient  Jews  and 
their  priests  and  view  their  horrible  work  in  the 
light  that  the  judgment  shall  turn  in  upon  it.  There 
is  meaning  in  my  text,  "What  shall  I  do  with  Jesus 
which  is  called  Christ?"  Let  us  beware,  lest  uncon- 
sciously we  condemn  the  Jew  for  answering,  "Let 
him  be  crucified !"  while  our  own  hands  are  imbrued 
with  the  blood  of  a  similar  slaughter. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  259 


Christ  at  a  Discount 


And  when  they  were  come,  they  say  unto  him,  Master,  we 
know  that  thou  art  true,  and  carest  for  no  man:  for  thou 
regardest  not  the  person  of  men,  but  teachest  the  way  of  God 
in  trutn:  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  or  not? 
Shall  we  give,  or  shall  we  not  give?  But  he,  knowing  their 
hypocrisy,  said  unto  them,  Why  tempt  ye  me?  bring  me  a 
penny,  that  I  may  see  it.  And  they  brought  it.  And  he 
saith  unto  them,  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription? 
And  they  said  unto  him,  Caesar's.  And  Jesus  answering  said 
unto  them,  Render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's, 
and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's.  And  they  marveled 
at  him.— Mark  12 :  14-17. 

Where  no  doubt  exists  as  to  the  genuineness  of  a 
coin,  it  is  supposed  to  command  its  face  value  any- 
where within  the  realm  from  whose  mint  it  was 
authoritatively  issued.  Outside  of  that  realm  it 
may  be  subjected  to  discount  at  the  will  of  those 
to  whom  it  is  presented. 

While  seeking  the  privileges,  rights,  or  immu- 
nities of  any  government,  we  are  expected  to  hold 
ourselves  subject  to  its  laws  and  exactions.  When 
we  become  unwilling  to  abide  a  nation's  conditions 
of  citizenship  or  residence,  we  should  at  once  relin- 
quish all  claims  upon  its  benefits  and  go  to  a  nation 
where  we  can  and  will  be  loyal  to  the  requirements. 

This  is  equally  true  in  matters  spiritual,  relating 


260  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

to  the  government  of  God,  and  no  man  who  is  unwill- 
ing to  submit  to  all  of  the  divine  requirements  should 
seek  or  expect  to  enjoy  the  rights  of  citizenship  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,  or  to  hold  title  to  any  of  the 
immunities  guaranteed  to  faithful  citizens  only. 

The  parties  who  figure  in  my  chosen  text  were 
aware  of  this  fact,  so  far  as  it  bore  upon  their  tem- 
poral estate,  but  were  deplorably  ignorant  regard- 
ing their  obligations  to  God,  or  else  they  were  rank 
hypocrites.  They  were  Pharisees  and  Herodians, 
and  they  professed  great  reverence  for  things 
d/vine.  Their  question  seemed  innocent  enough,  but 
was  intended  to  entrap  the  Savior  into  an  utterance 
that  would  be  considered  treasonable,  or  against 
Caesar.  But,  reading  their  motive,  Jesus  baffled 
them,  and  at  the  same  time  taught  a  most  important 
lesson — one  that  is  as  pertinent  to  our  necessities 
now  as  to  theirs  then. 

To  have  repudiated  their  obligations  to  pay 
tribute  to  Csesar  would  have  given  them  cause  to 
have  driven  him  out  or  to  destroy  him.  This  they 
sought  to  accomplish,  but  Jesus  adroitly  turned  the 
advantage  of  their  intention  to  his  own  purpose, 
and  placed  them  face  to  face  with  the  logic  of  their 
own  design. 

"Bring  me  a  penny,"  said  he.  Then,  after  secur- 
ing their  assertion  that  it  bore  the  image  and  super- 
scription of  Ca?sar,  he  said  to  them:  "Render  to 
CaBsar  the  things  that  are  Cesar's,  and  to  God  the 
things  that  are  God's."  Those  who  were  under  the 
dominion  of  Csesar  and  hoped  for  the  benefits  accru- 
ing thereunder  were  held  to  all  obligations  imposed 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  261 

by  Caesar.  So  also  those  who  desired  the  benefits 
provided  of  God  for  citizens  in  his  kingdom  must 
meet  all  the  divine  exactions.  These  Pharisees  had 
prefaced  their  inquiry  by  the  voluntary  statement, 
"Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  true:  for  thou 
regardest  not  the  person  of  men,  but  teachest  the 
way  of  God  in  truth."  Hence,  by  their  own  confes- 
sion, they  were  held  to  an  observance  of  whatever 
he  taught,  for  if  he  was  "true"  and  taught  "the  way 
of  God  in  truth,"  he  had  not  misrepresented  human 
obligation  in  any  sense,  and  they  could  not  dodge 
a  single  detail  of  his  gospel  message. 

He  had  not  come  to  interfere  with  their  govern- 
mental procedure  but  to  inculcate  the  principles  of 
righteousness,  so  as  to  give  them  title  to  immunities 
and  privileges  divine — to  put  them  in  touch  with 
the  angels  and  with  God,  and  to  secure  them  against 
the  machinations  of  the  subtle  power  that  had 
enslaved  their  spirits  and  had  kept  them  blind  to 
the  good  that  had  been  placed  at  their  doors.  They 
had  confessed  that  "the  image  and  superscription" 
upon  the  coin  he  offered  was  divine,  for  he  had  told 
them  he  came  from  God,  and  his  message  was  one 
of  life  from  God,  and  they  said  he  was  "true,"  and 
that  he  taught  "the  way  of  God  in  truth."  They 
had  said  that  they  knew  it  was  so.  Hence  they 
were  obligated  to  render  as  full  compliance  with 
what  they  confessed  as  being  true  in  his  teaching 
as  they  were  to  pay  tribute  unto  Caesar. 

Why  then  did  they  not  do  it  when  thus  con- 
fronted with  unanswerable  evidence  and  argument? 
If  you  can  find  an  answer  to  this,  you  may  find  it 


262  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

useful  as  an  excuse  for  human  conduct  to-day.    To 
illustrate,  I  appeal  to  the  Scriptures,  and  read: 

Therefore  leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ, 
let  us  go  on  unto  perfection;  not  laying  again  the  founda- 
tion of  repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward 
God,  of  the  doctrine  of  baptisms,  and  of  laying  on  of  hands, 
and  of  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  of  eternal  judgment. 
And  this  will  we  do,  if  God  permit. — Hebrews  6:  1-3. 

Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a 
man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God. — John  3:5. 

Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe:  in  my  name  shall  they  cast 
out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues;  they  shall 
take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it 
shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and 
they  shall  recover. — Mark  15 :  16-18. 

No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same 
Spirit.  And  there  are  differences  of  administrations,  but  the 
same  Lord.  And  there  are  diversities  of  operations,  but  it 
is  the  same  God  which  worketh  all  in  all.  But  the  manifes- 
tation of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal. 
For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom;  to 
another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit;  to 
another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  gifts  of 
healing  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  working  of  mira- 
cles; to  another  prophecy;  to  another  discerning  of  spirits; 
to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues;  to  another  the  interpre- 
tation of  tongues;  but  all  these  worketh  that  one  and  self- 
same Spirit,  dividing  to  every  man  severally  as  he  will. 
For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many  members,  and  all 
the  members  of  that  one  body,  being  many,  are  one  body:  so 
also  is  Christ.  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be 
bond  or  free;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  263 

Spirit.  For  the  body  is  not  one  member,  but  many.  If 
the  foot  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not 
of  the  body;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  and  if  the  ear 
shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the  body; 
is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  If  the  whole  body  were  an 
eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  If  the  whole  were  hearing, 
where  were  the  smelling?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  mem- 
bers every  one  of  them  in  the  body,  as  it  hath  pleased  him. 
And  if  they  were  all  one  member,  where  were  the  body? 
But  now  are  they  many  members,  yet  but  one  body.  And 
the  eye  can  not  say  unto  the  hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee: 
nor  again  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you. 
Nay,  much  more  those  members  of  the  body,  which  seem 
to  be  more  feeble,  are  necessary:  and  those  members  of  the 
body  which  we  think  .to  be  less  honorable,  upon  these  we 
bestow  more  abundant  honor;  and  our  uncomely  parts  have 
more  abundant  comeliness.  For  our  comely  parts  have  no 
need:  but  God  hath  tempered  the  body  together,  having 
given  more  abundant  honor  to  that  part  which  lacked:  that 
there  should  be  no  schism  in  the  body;  but  that  the  mem- 
bers should  have  the  same  care  one  for  another.  And 
whether  one  member  suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it; 
or  one  member  be  honored,  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it. 
Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular. 
And  God  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  sec- 
ondarily prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then 
gifts  of  healings,  helps,  governments,  diversities  of  tongues. 
— 1  Corinthians  12 :  3-28. 

And  he  gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets;  and 
some,  evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers;  for  the 
perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the 
unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fullness  of  Christ:  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more  children, 
tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning  craftiness, 
whereby  they  lie  in  weight  to  deceive;  but  speaking  the  truth 


264  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

in  love,  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things,  which  is  the 
head,  even  Christ:  from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined 
together  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth, 
according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself 
in  love. — Ephesians  4:  11-16. 

I  might  go  on  multiplying,  but  these  will  suffice 
from  the  tongue  and  pen  of  Jesus  the  Christ  and 
Paul,  a  duly  called  and  ordained  apostle.  Whose 
image  and  superscription  do  these  scriptures  bear? 
Is  there  any  question  as  to  their  divinity?  If  not, 
then,  recognizing  the  God-image  or  the  Christ-super- 
scription thereon,  let  me  ask  if  they  will  bring  their 
face  value  in  popular  religious  circles  to-day?  How 
much  are  they  worth  in  popular  churches?  How 
many  persons  will  confess  by  mouth  and  by  obedi- 
ence that  the  six  principles,  including  water  bap- 
tism for  remission  of  sins  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands  of  divinely  called  ministers  for  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  blessing  of  our  children, 
for  the  healing  of  the  sick  and  the  ordaining  of 
ministers,  together  with  the  signs  mentioned  and 
the  officers  named — viz,  apostles,  prophets,  evangel- 
ists, pastors,  teachers,  etc.,  are  essentials  to  the 
existence  of  Christ's  church  on  earth,  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  and 
for  the  salvation  of  the  race  to-day?  If  a  show  of 
hands  or  enrollment  of  names  could  be  secured  in  all 
the  chapels,  cathedrals,  synagogues,  and  places  of 
public  worship,  would  there  be  a  majority  of  the 
professed  citizens  under  the  Christ  government  who 
would  take  this  divine  coin  at  par? 

When  in  Toronto  some  years  ago,  I  put  down  one 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  265 

of  our  American  silver  dollars  in  payment  for  some 
goods  purchased,  and  was  told  that  ten  cents  more 
was  required,  though  I  had  only  bought  an  hun- 
dred cents*  worth;  but  our  coin  was  not  worth  its 
face  value  there  at  that  time.  I  was  not  surprised, 
for  that  city  belonged  to  a  government  foreign  to 
ours,  or  the  one  that  had  issued  the  coin.  If,  how- 
ever, I  had  met  with  such  an  experience  on  this  side 
of  the  line,  I  would  have  been  surprised;  but  such 
a  thing  was  not  likely. 

If  I  take  the  sayings  of  Jesus  and  the  prophets, 
or  the  writings  of  Paul  and  other  apostles,  to  a 
spiritualist  camp,  or  an  agnostics'  club,  or  the  coun- 
cils of  deists  or  materialists,  and  parade  them,  with 
a  dissertation  on  their  divinity  and  the  obligations 
they  impose  upon  the  race,  I  need  not  be  surprised 
if  those  people  begin  a  work  of  dissection  and  dis- 
crimination. It  will  not  astonish  me  if  they,  with- 
out admitting  the  absolute  divinity  of  anything  I 
have,  shall  nevertheless  say:  "This  I  indorse,  but 
that  I  condemn";  "These  words  please  me,  and  I 
will  observe  what  they  enjoin ;  but  that  other  expres- 
sion I  have  no  use  for,"  etc.  These  people  do  not 
pretend  to  be  the  friends  in  particular  of  the  "only 
begotten  Son  of  God."  They  do  not  claim  to  be 
citizens  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  They  are  "aliens 
and  foreigners,"  and  this  coin  has  but  limited  value 
to  them.  But  when  I  go  where  the  steeples  tower 
skyward;  where  the  name  of  Jesus  is  emblazoned 
on  the  door  pillars;  where  an  altar  is  erected  under 
the  inscription,  "Unto  God  and  his  Son  Jesus" — I 
ought  to  feel  justified  in  expecting  that  every  scrip- 


266  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

tural  requirement  will  be  met  with  unqualified  com- 
pliance, and  that  every  provision  in  church  economy 
or  holy  promise  as  to  faith,  practice,  church  organi- 
zation, doctrine,  or  endowment  shall  meet  with  an 
indorsement  that  knows  of  no  mental  reservation. 
But  is  it  so?  In  a  former  discourse  I  stated  that 
many  of  our  ministers,  including  myself,  had  been 
excluded  from  houses  of  worship,  and  had  been 
denounced  as  deceivers  and  liars,  because  we  had 
simply  told  them  that  these  scriptures  were  as  the 
coin  issued  from  the  God-mints  and  bore  the  divine 
image  and  superscription,  and  hence  must  be 
accepted  without  discount.  I  do  not  know  what 
you  think  about  it;  but  I  left  those  neighborhoods 
under  the  impression  that  the  people  were  under  a 
foreign  government,  hence  reserved  the  right  or 
license  to  put  their  own  value  upon  the  divine  cur- 
rency or  coin.  I  felt  it  no  honor  to  continue  any 
longer  where  my  Master  was  at  so  heavy  a  discount. 
With  me  it  is  "Jesus  at  par  or  no  Jesus  at  all."  My 
confession  that  Jesus  was  indeed  the  Christ  holds 
me  under  the  authority  that  was  vested  in  him  as 
such,  and  as  he  "came  not  to  do  his  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  the  Father  who  sent  him,"  so,  as  I  wish 
all  the  immunities  and  benefits  of  citizenship  in  his 
kingdom,  I  propose  to  let  his  will  rule  supremely  in 
the  government  of  my  life  and  conduct,  without  the 
indulgence  on  my  part  of  any  mental  reservations, 
or  the  exhibition  of  any  inclination  to  pick  what 
suits  my  carnal  fancy  or  my  creed's  affinity,  to  the 
exclusion  of  even  "a  jot  or  a  tittle"  from  the  entirety 
of  the  holy  formula. 


THE    OLD   JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  267 


The  Kinsrdom  of  God. 


Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God. — Matthew  6 :  33. 

It  is  a  little  strange,  to  say  the  least,  that  so  many 
people,  when  talking  about  any  earthly  kingdom  or 
government,  will  associate  with  it  the  thought  of  a 
monarch,  officers,  laws,  and  territory;  but  just  as 
soon  as  the  kingdom  of  God  is  named,  their  minds 
lose  sight  of  nearly  all  these  characteristics,  and  the 
imagination  figures  out  a  mere  principle  or  moral 
sentiment  existing  in  human  character.  Why  this 
should  be  so  we  do  not  know,  but  it  is  a  fact  never- 
theless. 

There  are  text-books  from  which  we  learn  the 
essentials  to  an  earthly  government,  and  according 
to  those  text-books  we  form  our  conclusions.  If, 
after  having  read  that  a  certain  kingdom  consisted 
of  such  elements  as  we  have  named  above,  we  should 
find  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  that  kingdom 
was  established  in  the  hearts  of  its  subjects,  we 
would  not  conclude  that  all  the  characteristics  of  the 
government  were  located  in  those  hearts.  A  very 
different  idea  from  this  would  be  gathered.  We 
would  be  likely  to  interpret  the  statement  as  mean- 
ing that  the  national  spirit  was  resident  within  its 
patriotic  subjects. 


268  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

If  we  should  read  further  that  certain  aliens  had 
become  citizens  of  that  government,  we  would  not 
satisfy  our  minds  with  the  thought  that  they  had 
merely  become  converted  in  their  feelings  to  a  dis- 
position favoring  said  government.  We  would 
know  that  they  had  foresworn  all  allegiance  to  their 
former  national  obligations,  and  had  obeyed  the 
law  of  initiation  into  the  government  of  their  later 
choice.  Why  do  we  divorce  ourselves  from  this 
thought  when  we  read  of  aliens  having  become  citi- 
zens of  the  kingdom  of  God? 

The  Bible  is  our  acknowledged  text-book  on  all 
matters  relating  to  the  government  of  God.  In  it 
we  find  all  the  characteristics  of  the  kingdom  set 
forth.  We  read  of  God  as  the  Supreme  Ruler  and 
Christ  as  the  Prince  of  Life  (see  Acts  3 :  15 ;  5 :  31)  ; 
next  of  offices  designated  by  them  to  be  filled  by 
men  of  their  choosing,  whose  duty  it  is  to  execute 
the  divine  will — administer  the  law.  (See  1  Corin- 
thians 12:28;  Ephesians  4:11;  Luke  6:12-16; 
9:  1-6.)  We  then  learn  of  the  law  of  adoption,  by 
which  men  and  women  become  citizens;  and  of  the 
governmental  law,  by  which  characters  are  devel- 
oped in  adopted  citizens.  (See  Hebrews  6:1,  2 ; 
John  3:5;  Acts  8 :  17 ;  19 :  5,  6.)  We  further  learn 
of  the  territory  where  this  law  is  to  be  adminis- 
tered and  where  the  benefits  of  adoption  or  son- 
ship  are  to  be  enjoyed.  In  this  presentation  the 
officers  are  designated  apostles,  prophets,  bishops, 
elders,  pastors,  teachers,  deacons,  etc.  The  law 
enjoins  upon  aliens  faith  in  the  King  and  Prince  of 
Life — in  their  divinity  and  their  absolute  right  to 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  269 

rule.  It  demands  a  renunciation  of  all  allegiance 
to  self  and  sin,  and  a  consecration  of  life  and  serv- 
ice to  the  divine  Sovereign — this  it  calls  repentance 
— a  ceasing  to  do  evil  and  a  consecration  to  right- 
eousness. It  requires  submission  to  a  sacred  rite, 
by  which  those  prepared  by  faith  and  repentance 
shall  be  separated  from  their  former  sin;  by  which 
the  old  alien  account  is  balanced,  and  the  candidate 
enters  into  a  new  relationship  with  the  Sovereign 
— he  becomes  an  adopted  son,  and  Jesus  henceforth 
is  to  stand  as  his  advocate  with  the  Father.  This 
rite  is  called  baptism,  and  consists  in  an  immersion 
of  the  candidate  in  water  by  one  of  the  officers 
authorized  to  administer  in  the  name  of  the  King. 

Next  follows  a  sacred  ceremony,  by  which  the 
certificate  of  adoption  is  guaranteed  to  the  new 
citizen.  The  divine  testimony  of  approval  and 
acceptance  is  furnished  by  the  King.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  sent  down  into  our  hearts,  by  which  we 
are  constrained  to  cry  in  truth,  "Abba,  Father!" 
This  holy  ceremony  is  the  "laying  on  of  hands,"  and 
we  are  assured  that  the  blessed  Spirit  thus  com- 
municated is  to  transform  us  into  the  image  of 
Christ,  and  is  to  change  our  vile  bodies  and  bring 
them  forth  from  the  decay  incident  to  mortality 
and  present  them  at  last — glorified  bodies — fash- 
ioned like  unto  the  divine.  It  is  the  power  of  the 
resurrection. 

We  learn  further  from  this  text-book  that  this 
earth  was  created  for  man,  and,  though  sin-cursed 
at  present,  will  undergo  a  cleansing  process  and 
stand  purified  at  last — the  perpetual  habitation  of 


270  THE 'OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

sanctified  citizens  of  the  'government  of  God. 
Blessed  hope.  (See  Matthew  5:5;  6:10;  Psalm 
37:  9,  11,  22,  29,  34;  Revelation  5:  10.) 

Who,  in  the  face  of  these  divinely  asserted  truths, 
can  imagine  that  all  there  is  to  the  kingdom  is  a 
moral  sentiment  within  human  hearts?  It  is  true 
that  in  Luke  17 :  21  Jesus  is  represented  as  saying, 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you";  but  no  sane 
reader  would  conclude  that  by  this  Jesus  meant  that 
his  government  was  in  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom 
he  was  then  speaking,  for  they  were  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  whom  he  elsewhere  called  whited  sepul- 
chers,  hypocrites,  etc.  Evidently  the  marginal  read- 
ing is  correct:  "The  kingdom  of  God  is  among 
you,"  for  such  was  the  case.  The  Lord  had  chosen 
his  officers  and  given  the  law  to  them,  and  they  were 
then  among  the  people,  though  unrecognized. 

Again  we  have  the  admonition  of  the  apostle  in 
Romans  14 :  17,  in  which  he  declares  that  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  "righteousness,  and  peace  and  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost."  We  have  only  to  read  the  con- 
text, however,  in  order  to  find  that  he  was  advising 
them  not  to  judge  men's  citizenship  by  what  they 
ate  or  drank,  for  the  kingdom  of  God  did  not  con- 
sist in  such  things.  In  other  words,  the  abstaining 
from  or  partaking  of  certain  meats  were  not  the 
marks  by  which  they  were  to  identify  citizens  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  but  by  "righteousness,  and 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  kingdom  of  God  was  preached  by  Christ  and 
his  chosen  ministers  (see  Matthew  3:2;  4:17; 
10 :  7) ,  and  men  were  advised  to  enter  it.  There  is 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  271 

no  such  thing  intimated  as  the  kingdom  entering 
into  them.  They  were  to  be  translated  from  the 
kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear 
Son.  The  law  of  adoption  was  preached,  and  every- 
where the  people  were  told  that  if  they  did  not  obey, 
they  could  not  enter  it.  (See  John  3:5;  Luke 
16:  16,  and  many  other  passages.)  Let  us  be  con- 
sistent, and  heed  the  advice  to  "seek  first  the  king- 
dom of  God" ;  let  us  enter  it  when  we  find  it,  and 
let  us  honor  the  King  by  observing  his  law,  and  thus 
allow  that  law  to  have  its  legitimate  effect  in  our 
complete  tranformation  into  the  image  of  Jesus  the 
Christ.  Let  us  beware  of  spiritual  governments  or 
organizations  which  carry  the  name  of  the  King, 
but  do  not  teach  his  laws  nor  hold  office  by  his 
authority  to  represent  him,  for  "no  man  taketh  this 
honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that  called  of  God,  as 
was  Aaron."  (Hebrews  5:  4.) 


272  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Who  May  Enter  the  Kingdom? 


Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. — Matthew  7:21. 

These  are  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  we  can  not 
afford  to  think  that  they  were  idly  spoken.  From 
this  statement  we  are  led  to  understand  that  some 
who  would  cry,  "Lord,  Lord,"  might  enter  into  his 
kingdom,  but  "not  every  one."  A  question  might 
fairly  arise  here,  Why  not  all  enter,  if  any  should  be 
permitted? 

The  cry  of  "Lord,  Lord,"  coming  from  any  source 
should  indicate  confidence  in  the  divinity  and 
authority  of  the  one  addressed.  Where  this  is  not 
the  case,  the  cry  is  insincere,  and  is  unworthy  of 
respectful  notice.  Where  the  cry  is  sincere,  the  crier 
is  supposed  to  be  in  an  attitude  to  honor  whatever 
advice  or  command  shall  come  in  response  to  his  or 
her  appeal.  If,  after  receiving  the  counsel  sought, 
the  crier  shall  fail  or  refuse  to  "observe"  it  in  all 
the  strictness  of  its  details,  he  or  she  is  open  to  the 
charge  of  infidelity,  and  is  without  claim  on  the 
grace  of  the  one  addressed  as  "Lord." 

It  is  truly  written  in  Romans  10 :  13  that  "who- 
soever shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  273 

saved,"  but  note  what  follows  this  announcement, 
and  see  how  it  agrees  with  what  the  Savior  has 
said: 

How  then  shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not 
believed?  and  how  shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they 
have  not  heard?  and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher? 
and  how  shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent? 

Everybody  knows  that  people  can  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  without  reverence,  or  the  first  impulse 
of  a  devotional  spirit;  but  the  "call"  above  referred 
to  is  one  that  is  made  with  a  desire  for  salvation, 
hence  must  be  reckoned  as  sincere  and  consistent. 
The  apostle,  therefore,  inquired,  in  all  reason,  how 
such  a  call  could  be  made  successfully,  unless  the 
ones  calling  had  first  heard  the  preacher  and 
believed  what  the  preacher  had  said.  He  also,  with 
equal  reason,  asks  how  the  preacher  could  preach 
except  he  had  been  sent.  Of  course  the  apostle  knew 
that  almost  any  talker  could  preach,  so  far  as  simply 
delivering  an  address  was  concerned;  but  he  evi- 
dently meant  that  no  man  could  preach  and  admin- 
ister the  gospel  of  Christ  authoritatively  except  he 
had  been  sent  of  God.  He  well  knew,  and  wanted 
all  others  to  know,  that  the  doors  to  the  kingdom  of 
God  could  not  be  opened  by  any  except  those  to 
whom  the  "keys  of  the  kingdom"  had  been  com- 
mitted. He  meant  to  convey  just  the  same  idea  as 
when  he  wrote  to  the  Hebrews  that  "no  man  taketh 
this  honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God, 
as  was  Aaron."  (Hebrews  5:  4.). 

What  have  we,  then,  as  a  conclusion  from  this 
announcement  ? 


274  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

1.  That  none  but  those  sent  of  God  can  preach  the 
gospel  (the  power  of  God  unto  salvation)  effectively. 

2.  That  no  person  can  "call"  upon  the  Lord  in 
a  way  to   secure  salvation   unless  they  hear  and 
believe  the  testimony  of  those  whom  Christ  has  sent. 

3.  That  the  "call"  that  secures  salvation  must  be 
made  in  accordance  with  the  preaching  which  has 
been  heard  and  believed. 

Who  will  attempt  to  contradict  these  conclusions? 
Surely  no  one  will.  Then  we  proceed.  If  "not 
every  one"  that  calls  shall  enter  the  kingdom,  but 
only  those  who  "do  the  will"  of  Christ's  "Father  in 
heaven,"  let  us  ask,  What  is  the  "will"  referred  to? 
Jesus  said,  "I  came  not  to  do  my  own  will,  but  the 
will  of  him  that  sent  me."  It  may,  therefore,  be 
decided  that  whatever  Jesus  did  and  said  was  the 
"will"  of  the  Father.  God,  from  heaven,  spake 
approvingly  of  the  course  pursued  by  Jesus.  "This 
is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,"  he 
once  declared,  and  on  another  occasion  repeated  this 
announcement,  with  the  command  in  addition,  "hear 
him."  (See  Matthew  3:17;  Luke  9:35.)  From 
this  we  are  satisfied  that  the  Father  in  heaven  was 
well  pleased  with  the  illustration  of  his  "will"  which 
was  furnished  the  world  in  the  conduct  of  Jesus, 
and  we  are  placed  under  obligation  to  accept  that 
illustration  and  observe  its  details  by  the  command 
to  hear  him.  This  agrees  with  the  direct  counsel 
of  Jesus :  "Learn  of  me." 

Hence,  to  respect  these  two  commands  is  to  do  as 
Jesus  did,  and  he  or  she  who  cries,  "Lord,  Lord," 
without  doing  the  "will"  of  God — observing  the 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  275 

method,  order,  and  spirit  of  him  who  was  God's 
model  "doer,"  must  cry  for  ever  outside  the  doors  of 
the  kingdom.  They  can  not  enter. 

Again,  if  our  "call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord," 
to  be  effective,  must  be  made  in  harmony  with  the 
preaching  of  those  whom  God  has  "sent,"  let  us 
discover,  if  possible,  what  those  preachers  said, 
and  then  let  us  call  upon  Christ  accordingly. 

Let  us  see:  John  the  Baptist  was  a  man  "sent" 
from  God,  and  he  taught  men  to  repent  and  be 
baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins  (for  salvation), 
and  told  them  that  Christ  would  supplement  his 
water  baptism  with  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
(See  Luke  3:  3-8.) 

Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  eleven  taught  the  same 
things.  (See  Acts  2:14-40.)  They  were  among 
those  whom  Jesus  "sent."  (See  John  20:21.) 
Ananias,  whom  Jesus  "sent"  to  Saul,  taught  the 
same  thing.  (See  Acts  ninth  and  twenty-second 
chapters.)  From  these  same  chapters  we  learn  that 
Paul  was  "sent,"  and  from  many  places  in  the 
Scriptures  we  learn  that  he  taught  the  same  things. 
(See  Hebrews  6:1,  2.)  In  Mark  16:14-18, 
Matthew  28 :  19,  20,  and  other  places,  we  have  a 
copy  of  the  certificate  of  authority  upon  which  most 
of  these  preachers  operated,  and  in  John  3:5,  we 
have  the  emphatic  announcement  of  the  "Author 
of  salvation"  himself:  "Except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God." 

We  profess  to  believe  these  certified  truths  of  the 
Bible.  How  then  can  we  "call  on  the  name  of  the 


276  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

Lord"  successfully,  except  by  "doing  the  will"  of 
the  Father,  as  observed  by  Christ  and  taught  by 
him  and  all  those  whom  he  has  "sent"? 

Unfortunately,  our  traditions  have  led  us  to  fix 
up  ways  of  salvation  for  ourselves,  and  we  have 
been  made  to  believe  that  "every  one"  that  saith, 
"Lord,  Lord,"  could  be  saved  by  working  such  an 
appeal  into  their  religious  exercises.  Congrega- 
tions, synods,  conferences,  and  the  like  have  given 
to  selected  men  a  fancied  authority  to  lead  people 
up  to  the  entrance  of  the  kingdom,  forgetful  of  the 
fact  that  no  man  can  open  those  doors  unless  the 
"keys  of  the  kingdom"  (the  priesthood  or  authority 
of  God)  have  been  conferred  upon  him.  They  have 
forgotten  that  human  agreements  and  votes  of  coun- 
cils can  never  convey  divine  authority — that  must 
come  direct  from  heaven,  and  be  certified  to  by 
revelation.  Thousands  have  opened  their  eyes  to 
the  fact  that  an  appeal  to  Christ  is  necessary  for 
help  to  enter  the  kingdom,  but  have  ignored  the 
equally  important  fact  that  "not  every  one"  that 
saith,  "Lord,  Lord,"  shall  enter. 

The  ancient  command,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
gods  before  me,"  holds  good  as  a  principle  in  con- 
nection with  all  the  relations  between  heaven  and 
earth.  Millions  of  people  to-day  would  scorn  to 
bow  their  fleshly  knees  before  a  stone  or  wooden 
image,  considering  that  such  an  act  would  be  idola- 
try. Yet  among  those  millions  how  many  have 
received  systems  of  religion  which  have  been  manu- 
factured at  some  theological  mills  of  human  inven- 
tion and  operation,  and  have  made  those  systems 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  277 

their  worshiping  shrines,  while  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  and  his  ministry,  as  recorded  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, is  a  perpetual  outcry  against  them!  Idola- 
try indeed:  rendering  homage  where  God  is  never 
to  be  found.  Elevating  a  human  creation  to  the 
place  ordained  of  God  for  his  gospel.  Decrying  the 
ordinances  of  God  and  at  the  same  time  professing 
confidence  in  and  love  for  God.  It  is  a  sad  mistake. 
True  love  for  God  always  acknowledges  his  infinite 
wisdom  and  honors  his  appointments,  no  matter 
how  simple  and  unimportant  to  the  human  mind 
they  may  appear.  It  stems  the  tide  of  human  oppo- 
sition, and  makes  the  pleasure  of  God  its  perpetual 
and  paramount  aim.  It  takes  the  divine  counsel  as 
a  settlement  of  all  questions  to  which  it  relates,  and 
holds  no  mental  reservations. 


278  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Many  Ways,  or  One? 

What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?— Acts  16:  30. 

Among  all  the  questions  engaging  human  thought, 
none  are  more  vital  than  this.  Who  can  furnish 
the  answer? 

A  complete  circuit  of  churches  is  formed  around 
us,  and  at  the  asking  of  this  last  question,  repre- 
sentative men  of  all  these  churches  hold  up  their 
hands.  This  we  take  as  a  signal  that  they  are 
ready  to  accommodate  us  with  the  desired  informa- 
tion, or  to  .answer  the  first  question,  "What  must 
I  do  to  be  saved?"  Hence  we  accept  the  intimation 
and  approach  the  one  nearest  to  us. 

After  assuring  us  that  our  question  is  too  impor- 
tant to  be  speculated  upon,  and  that  inspiration 
alone  can  be  relied  on  for  settlement  of  the  matter, 
this  church  representative  opens  a  copy  of  King 
James'  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  reads  from  John 
3 :  14-16  and  8 :  24 ;  and  then,  turning  to  Acts  16 :  31, 
reaches  the  climax  of  his  assurance  by  reading  the 
words,  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved."  We  are  then  exhorted  by  him  to 
accept  God's  word  in  settlement  and  believe,  for 
faith  is  the  only  requisite  unto  salvation,  and  when 
once  we  believe,  we  are  saved  beyond  the  possibility 
of  falling  from  grace — eternally  saved. 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  279 

Leaving  him,  we  are  met  by  the  representative  of 
church  No.  2,  in  the  circuit  referred  to,  who  mildly 
counsels  us  not  to  risk  too  much  on  the  instruction 
given  by  our  first  adviser;  for,  though  a  good  man, 
he  is  just  a  little  astray  in  religious  theory.  This 
arouses  our  curiosity,  and  we  ask  in  sincerity  for 
this  man's  answer  to  the  question  we  have  asked. 
To  this  he  responds  by  opening  a  copy  of  the  same 
edition  of  the  Bible  as  did  the  first  man.  Turn- 
ing to  Luke  15:  7,  Mark  6:  12,  and  Acts  17:  30',  as 
well  as  to  several  other  passages  of  like  import,  he 
carefully  reads  and  strongly  emphasizes  the  word 
repent  as  he  proceeds.  Then  turning  to  Luke 
13:  3-5,  he  employs  it  to  prove  that  without  repent- 
ance we  must  all  perish.  He  tells  us  that  faith  is 
good,  but  is  insufficient  to  save  without  repentance. 
He  adds  that  the  latter  was  commanded  of  God  and, 
when  joined  with  belief,  secures  salvation  complete, 
and,  if  right  moral  conduct  follows,  will  give  us 
inheritance  with  Christ  for  ever.  Then  follows 
some  good  advice,  after  hearing  which,  we  retire  to 
meditate. 

As  we  bend  our  steps  homeward,  churchman 
No.  3  meets  us  and  recognizes  in  us  an  anxious  ques- 
tioner. He  invites  us  into  his  study  and  opens 
another  copy  of  the  same  Bible  as  the  others  used, 
and  from  its  pages  begins  to  read.  Acts  22 :  16  is 
his  first  selection,  then  Matthew  28:  19  and  Mark 
16 :  16  follow,  after  which  he  introduces  Acts  2 :  38, 
and  finally,  to  complete  his  answer  to  our  question, 
he  reads  and  emphasizes  part  of  1  Peter  3 :  21 — 
"Baptism  doth  now  save  us."  Right  here  our 


280  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

instructor  reminds  us  that  this  is  God's  word,  given 
by  inspiration  for  our  guidance,  that  we  might  not 
be  mistaken.  We  are  told  further,  that  while  the 
others  churches  hold  good  people,  yet  the  church 
which  holds  to  the  Bible,  "and  the  Bible  alone,"  and 
which  "speaks  when  the  Bible  speaks  and  keeps 
silent  where  the  Bible  is  silent,"  is  the  only  safe  gate- 
way to  heaven.  This  reminder  is  followed  by  a  dec- 
laration that  while  the  other  societies  observed 
forms  or  modes  of  baptism,  some  right  and  some 
wrong,  they  did  not  perform  it  for  the  right  purpose 
— to  remit  sin ;  hence  they  were  wrong,  and  only  the 
one  we  are  now  learning  about  is  right.  Then  comes 
the  exhortation,  "Be  baptized,  my  brother,  for 
remission  of  sins,  and  salvation  is  yours;  for  God 
has  said  so."  We  then  part  from  this  instructor, 
wondering  how  it  is  that  the  Bible  can  teach  so 
many  ways  of  salvation. 

Hardly  have  we  gotten  away  from  this  adviser 
till  we  are  greeted  by  another,  who  informs  us  that 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  is  what  is  necessary,  and 
quotes  1  Corinthians  12 :  13  and  Acts  1 :  5  and 
11 :  16  to  prove  his  assertion,  and  strongly  urges  us 
to  avoid  all  ceremony,  and  simply  ask  for  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Here  he  uses  the  Savior's  words,  found  in 
Luke  11 :  9-13,  to  convince  us  that  our  heavenly 
Father  stands  ready  to  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  those 
who  ask.  We  are  then  dismissed  by  churchman 
No.  4,  with  a  solemn  warning  to  put  no  trust  in  any 
other  baptism,  nor  in  any  ceremony  whatever. 

Our  next  instructor  also  has  the  same  Bible  ready 
to  his  hand,  and,  turning  to  Ephesians  2 :  8,  9  reads 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  281 

with  great  solemnity  the  words:  "For  by  grace 
are  ye  saved  through  faith;  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves :  it  is  the  gift  of  God :  not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast."  In  explanation,  he  informs  us 
that  creation  and  redemption  are  alike,  in  that  they 
are  both  an  exercise  of  divine  power,  and  an  exhibi- 
tion of  God's  grace  or  favor;  that  he  who  assumed 
the  responsibility  of  creating  the  race  will  bear  the 
responsibility  of  its  salvation,  and  that  all  men  will 
eventually  be  saved,  regardless  of  what  they  are, 
or  say,  or  do.  It  is  God's  business  to  save  us,  and  we 
need  give  ourselves  no  anxiety  over  the  matter 
except  to  believe  in  that  fact.  It  is  the  gift  of  God, 
the  same  as  was  physical  life.  Thus  ends  our  inter- 
view with  churchman  No.  5. 

No.  6  can  give  us  nothing  more  definite  in  answer 
to  our  question  than  the  announcement  made  in 
Romans  8 :  24,  "We  are  saved  by  hope."  To  him  the 
existence  of  hope  within  us  is  a  faint  indication  of 
the  possibility  of  our  being  among  the  "elect,"  or 
those  predestinated  to  eternal  life.  There  is  noth- 
ing certain  upon  which  we  can  calculate;  but  God 
will  be  glorified  in  the  damnation  of  one  as  much 
as  in  the  salvation  of  another. 

We  travel  on  thus  till  we  have  canvassed  the  cir- 
cuit of  churches,  and  we  turn  back  to  the  point  from 
whence  we  started,  wondering  which  answer  was 
right,  and  how  to  decide  the  matter.  The  Bible  has 
furnished  all  the  texts  upon  which  the  answers  were 
seemingly  based,  and  yet  the  disagreement  between 
the  church  representatives  is  so  marked  that  our 
perplexity  has  been  increased  rather  than  dimin- 


282  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

ished.  Is  the  infidel  right  in  saying  that  the  Bible 
is  unreliable  because  it  teaches  too  many  ways  of 
salvation  and  contradicts  itself  therein?  Let  us 
wait  awhile  and  see. 

At  this  juncture  a  friend  who  knows  of  our 
dilemma  advises  that  we  present  our  case  to  one 
of  the  Latter  Day  Saint  ministers  before  abandon- 
ing hope  of  a  satisfactory  solution.  Reluctantly  we 
consent,  and  seeing  an  elder  at  some  distance,  we 
approach  him  and  present  the  great  question  that 
has  gone  the  round  with  us — "What  must  I  do  to 
be  saved?" 

Opening  his  little  gripsack,  he  draws  forth  a  well- 
worn  copy  of  the  same  edition  of  the  Bible  as  was 
employed  by  the  others,  and  proceeds  to  answer  from 
it.  His  first  selection  is  Ecclesiastes  12 :  13,  "Fear 
God,  and  keep  his  commandments:  for  this  is  the 
whole  duty  of  man";  after  which  we  are  treated 
to  Matthew  28 :  20,  "Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you:  and,  lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world." 

Right  here  we  interrupt,  and  remind  him  that  we 
have  been  hearing  from  that  Bible  all  day.  We  tell 
him  of  the  special  points  of  doctrine  advocated  by 
each  of  our  former  advisers.  As  we  mention  faith, 
repentance,  baptism  of  water,  baptism  of  the  Spirit, 
grace  and  hope,  and  tell  him  that  each  has  been  set 
forth  by  as  many  churches,  separately,  and  declared 
to  be  the  means  of  salvation,  yet  all  are  at  variance 
with  each  other.  He  listens  attentively.  When  we 
are  through,  he  points  back  toward  the  churches 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  283 

we  have  been  visiting,  and  tells  us  to  look.  We  do 
so,  and  see  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  6  all  pointing  in 
our  direction  and  shouting,  "Beware  of  false 
prophets !" 

The  men  who  before  warned  us,  each  against  the 
other,  are  now  united  in  decrying  the  elder  we  are 
talking  to.  Surprised  at  this,  we  ask  an  explana- 
tion, and  are  told  by  the  elder  that  it  is  a  common 
experience  with  him,  and  he  reminds  us  that  when 
Paul  preached  on  earth,  the  Pharisees  and  others 
who  professed  faith  in  the  Scriptures  were  the  ones 
to  denounce  him  as  a  heretic  (see  Acts  24:  14,  15), 
although  the  doctrine  he  preached  was  taken  from 
their  own  Scriptures.  Paul's  heresy  consisted  in 
"believing  all  things  which  are  written  in  the  law 
and  in  the  prophets."  His  accusers  believed  only 
what  agreed  with  their  traditions,  and  he  had  quoted 
their  own  book  against  them,  which  incensed  them 
till  they  scourged  and  imprisoned  him. 

Comparing  himself  thus  with  Paul,  our  elder  tells 
us  that  he  believes  all  that  the  others  have  shown 
us  from  the  Bible,  and  much  more.  His  text  from 
Matthew  28:20  enjoins  everything  taught  by 
Christ  and  includes  all  the  several  principles  as 
parts  of  one  grand  system,  and  there  can  be  no  com- 
plete salvation  without  observance  of  all.  In  this 
sense,  as  was  Paul,  I  am  a  heretic,  he  says,  if  meas- 
ured by  the  church  standards  of  to-day,  for  I  believe 
and  teach  all  things  which  are  set  forth  in  the  Scrip- 
tures for  our  observance.  How  he  can  reconcile  all 
these  points  upon  which  others  seem  to  be  divided 


284  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

we  do  not  perceive;  hence  he  offers  the  following 
illustration : 

Four  men  move  into  a  certain  locality,  intending 
to  engage  in  farming.  One  arrives  in  February,  and 
buys  raw,  unfenced  land;  the  next  comes  in  April, 
and  buys  a  farm  well  fenced  and  improved ;  the  third 
buys  later,  after  the  plowing  has  been  done  on  the 
place  and  the  land  is  ready  for  the  seed.  Each  of 
these,  upon  arriving,  appealed  to  a  resident  farmer, 
who  was  considered  authority,  for  advice  as  to  how 
to  proceed  in  order  to  make  a  complete  success  of 
farming  in  that  place.  In  reply,  the  first  man  was 
told  to  go  to  fencing,  the  second  to  go  to  plowing, 
and  the  third  to  go  to  planting.  Neither  one  of  these 
considered  it  necessary  to  go  again  to  this  man. 
Another  man  arrived  about  the  same  time  as  the 
first,  and  got  the  same  advice ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
constructed  a  good  fence  around  his  land,  he 
appealed  again  to  the  recognized  authority,  and  got 
the  same  advice  as  the  second  man;  and  when  he 
had  acted  upon  the  advice  to  plow,  he  went  again, 
and  the  advice  given  to  the  third  man  was  repeated 
to  him,  and  he  proceeded  to  plant  grain,  etc.  After 
this  he  went  again,  and  received  instructions  as  to 
how  to  proceed  with  harvesting,  as  a  result  of  which 
he  safely  garnered  an  excellent  crop,  and  was  loud 
in  his  praise  of  the  friend  who  had  so  kindly 
instructed  him.  The  other  three,  later,  are  jealous 
of  his  success,  and  complain  because  they  have  no 
similar  crop,  though  they  have  obeyed  the  counsel 
given  them.  They  compare  notes  among  themselves, 
and  find  that  each  of  the  three  received  a  different 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  285 

answer  to  the  same  question  asked,  and  one  has  done 
nothing  but  fence,  the  other  nothing  but  plow,  and 
the  other  nothing  but  plant  grain. 

Now,  where  does  the  trouble  lie?  Did  the  man 
appealed  to  advise  wrongly  in  any  case,  or  did  he 
contradict  himself  in  saying  to  one  that  fencing,  to 
another  that  plowing,  and  to  another  that  plant- 
ing was  essential  to  successful  farming?  Was  not 
the  trouble  with  themselves,  in  not  appealing  often 
enough  for  counsel,  or  in  failing  to  do  as  the  fourth 
man  did  in  asking  for  more  instruction  when  the 
last  advice  had  been  fully  observed?  Reason  says, 
Yes,  in  such  a  case  as  this ;  and  so  it  does  in  spiritual 
matters.  It  is  worse  than  absurd  to  conclude  that 
because  belief  is  taught  as  a  principle  or  step  toward 
acquiring  salvation,  that  therefore  there  is  nothing 
to  do  but  believe.  So  with  repentance,  baptism,  or 
any  other  principle.  Yet  you  may  have  believed  in 
God  and  Christ  for  fifty  years,  and  yet  if  you  go 
to  some  religious  altars  and  ask  what  you  must  do 
to  be  saved,  and  tell  them  of  your  life-long  belief, 
you  will  be  told  to  "believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
and  you  will  be  saved.  Who  can  be  serious  over 
such  work  as  that  and  yet  laugh  at  the  man  who 
did  nothing  but  fence,  because  the  authority  said 
fencing  was  necessary  in  his  region  to  successful 
farming  ? 

Paul  and  Silas  (see  Acts  16:  31)  told  the  jailer 
to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be  saved, 
because  that  jailer  had  never  yet  believed  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.  He  had  considered  him  an  impostor 
until  the  startling  occurrences  of  the  last  hour  or 


286  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

two  had  compelled  him  to  acknowledge  that  the 
power  of  God  must  be  attendant  upon  these  minis- 
ters of  Jesus.  It  was  timely  counsel.  In  the  figure 
of  the  illustration,  his  fences  were  not  yet  up,  and 
he  must  prepare  rightly  if  he  would  reap  well. 

"Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  eleven"  told  the  multi- 
tude to  ""repent"  when  asked  the  same  question  as 
the  jailer  asked  of  Paul.  (See  Acts  2:  38.)  Not  a 
word  about  believing,  and  why?  Simply  because 
the  multitude  had  become  convinced  by  the  preach- 
ing they  had  just  heard,  and  they  were  "pricked  in 
their  hearts,"  and  accepted  the  message  as  true. 
Hence  it  would  have  been  folly  to  have  asked  them 
to  believe.  They  did  believe  what  they  had  heard, 
and  were  ready  for  the  next  step,  and  inspiration 
dealt  wisely  with  their  necessity  and  told  them  to 
repent. 

Ananias,  when  visiting  Saul  at  Damascus,  for  the 
first  time,  having  been  sent  of  God  to  teach  him  the 
way  of  life  (see  Acts  22:  16),  said  to  him,  "Arise, 
and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,"  not  even 
naming  either  belief  or  repentance,  for  the  good 
reason  that  the  work  of  believing  and  repenting 
had  been  produced  within  Saul  before  the  arrival  of 
Ananias,  and  God  did  not  send  the  latter  to  waste 
words  or  ignore  conditions. 

Peter  and  John  (see  Acts  8 :  14-17)  went  from 
Jerusalem  to  Samaria  as  Christ's  ministers,  and 
after  praying  for  the  people  there,  they  laid  their 
hands  upon  them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost,  without  saying  anything  about  belief,  repent- 
ance, or  baptism  of  water.  These  requirements  had 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  287 

already  been  met  by  them  under  the  preaching  of 
Philip,  and  they  were  waiting  for  the  next  prin- 
ciple in  the  divine  order;  and  so  might  we  proceed 
throughout  the  whole  line  of  revealed  divine  pro- 
cedure. 

As  to  salvation  by  "grace,"  through  faith,  it  is 
clear  that  only  thereby  can  any  man  be  saved,  hav- 
ing no  power  to  save  himself  independently  of  God. 
Hence  the  works  he  performs  are  not  those  of  which 
he  can  "boast,"  for  they  are  simply  the  works  of 
righteousness,  by  which  he  puts  himself  where  the 
grace  of  God  can  be  applied  to  his  case.  They  are 
simply  his  acts  of  obedience,  so  that  he  may  be 
included  within  lines  where  salvation  is  pledged. 

Salvation  "by  hope"  has  its  significance  revealed 
in  the  man  whose  desire  for  salvation  leads  him 
to  obey  the  truth,  as  a  consequence  of  which  there 
comes,  in  addition  to  his  desire,  an  expectation  of 
salvation.  Hope  is  the  compound  of  these  two,  and 
where  it  is  resident,  duty  has  been  performed,  and 
the  title  of  such  an  one  is  clear.  While  he  maintains 
that  attitude,  his  "hope"  remains;  and  where  there 
is  that  kind  of  "hope,"  salvation  is  close. 

Thus  has  our  wayside  elder  illustrated  his  point 
and  proven  his  "heresy"  to  be  of  a  piece  with  that  of 
Paul  and  Peter  and  of  our  Lord  and  Master.  We 
hasten  to  occupy  ground  with  him,  believing  that  a 
Bible-made  heretic  is  safer  than  a  creed-made 
churchman. 


288  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


No  Doctrine,  No  Christ 


They  that  murmured  shall  learn  doctrine. — Isaiah  29 :  24. 

We  have  frequently  been  advised  to  cut  loose  from 
doctrine  and  devote  our  preaching  efforts  to  a 
declaration  of  the  love  of  God  and  an  invitation  to 
all  men  to  come  to  Jesus.  We  have  even  been  invited 
to  unite  with  clergymen  of  other  denominations  in 
a  protracted  effort  to  convert  sinners,  with  the 
understanding  that  doctrine  should  not  be  taught; 
but  when  we  have  expressed  a  determination  to 
teach  doctrine  wherever  laboring,  the  invitation  has 
been  withdrawn. 

What  is  there  about  doctrine  that  makes  it  so 
undesirable?  Do  those  who  object  to  it  not  know 
that  to  cut  loose  from  doctrine  is  to  cut  loose  from 
God  and  Christ?  Surely  they  have  never  read  the 
following  declaration  of  the  Apostle  John: 

Whosoever  transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ,  hath  not  God.  He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  he  hath  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  If  there  come 
any  unto  you,  and  bring  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him  not 
into  your  house,  neither  bid  him  God-speed:  for  he  that 
biddeth  him  God-speed  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds. — 2  John 
9:11. 

Four  things  are  clearly  implied  in  this  announce- 
ment: 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  289 

1.  That  God  and  Christ  are  to  be  found  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ. 

2.  That  to  turn  from  doctrine  is  to  turn  from 
God  and  Christ. 

3.  That  if  we  preach  not,  or  "bring  not,"  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  the  people  of  God  are  commanded 
to  shun  us  as  those  guilty  of  "evil  deeds." 

4.  That  if  people  receive  us  as  ministers  of  God, 
when  we  do  not  bring  the  doctrine,  they  are  guilty 
of  wrong-doing  in  partaking  of  our  evil  deeds. 

How  can  we  preach  the  love  of  God  without  teach- 
ing doctrine?  God's  love  was  manifested  in  giving 
Jesus,  for  we  read  that : 

God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life. — John  3 :  16. 

If  God  gave  Jesus  that  we  might  believe  in  him, 
there  must  have  been  something  presented  by  him 
that  we  are  required  to  believe.  What  did  this 
"teacher  sent  from  God"  teach?  Was  it  not  doc- 
trine ?  Listen  -to  this : 

My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any 
man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether 
it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself. — John  7 :  16,  17. 

Here  again  we  have  four  things  clearly  implied : 

1.  That  God  sent  Jesus  with  a  doctrine. 

2.  That  Jesus  preached  that  doctrine. 

3.  That  in  that   doctrine  the   will   of   God  was 
revealed. 

4.  That  by  obedience  to  that  doctrine  knowledge 
as  to  its  origin  was  to  be  obtained. 

It  is  clearly  evident  again  that  Jesus  taught  doc- 


290  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

trine  from  these  words:  "The  people  were  aston- 
ished at  his  doctrine." — Matthew  7 :  28. 

It  is  further  evident  that  in  teaching  thus  he  was 
acting  under  his  Father's  instructions,  for  he  said: 
"The  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  command- 
ment, what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak." 
—John  12 :  49. 

Hence  it  is  certain  that  Jesus  taught  doctrine  by 
the  command  of  God. 

In  sending  his  ministry  forth,  Jesus  promised 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  should  bring  to  their  remem- 
brance whatsoever  he  had  said  to  them,  and  they 
were  to  teach  all  things  which  he  had  commanded 
them.  He  had  taught  faith,  repentance,  baptisms, 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
and  eternal  judgment,  and  if  the  Holy  Ghost  should 
make  good  Christ's  promise  to  the  ministry,  it  must 
bring  these  things  to  their  remembrance,  or,  in 
other  words,  it  must  fill  their  minds  with  doctrine 
when  they  stood  up  to  preach  by  divine  authority. 
It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  we  should  learn 
of  "Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  eleven"  standing  up 
under  the  Pentecostal  baptism,  and  in  their  very 
first  sermon  to  all  the  nations  then  represented  at 
Jerusalem,  preaching  doctrine.  Hear  them: 
"Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins." — 
Acts  2 :  38. 

The  Holy  Ghost  was  doing  for  them  just  what 
Jesus  promised.  It  was  bringing  his  words  to  their 
remembrance,  for  he  had  said:  "He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved." — Mark  16 :  16. 


THE-  OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  291 

He  had  also  said :  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he 
can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." — John  3:5. 
Also:  "Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  per- 
ish."—Luke  13:3. 

Nor  did  the  apostles  later  abandon  doctrinal 
preaching,  for  we  find  Paul  exhorting  Timothy  years 
after  in  the  following  words :  "Take  heed  unto  thy- 
self, and  unto  the  doctrine;  continue  in  them:  for 
in  doing  this  thou  shalt  both  save  thyself,  and  them 
that  hear  thee."— 1  Timothy  4 :  16. 

From  this  it  is  clear: 

1.  That  Timothy  was  to  continue  in  the  doctrine. 

2.  That  he  was  to  preach  doctrine  to  his  hearers. 

3.  That  the  salvation  of  both  preacher  and  hearer 
depended  upon  continuance  therein. 

There  need  not  be  any  doubt  as  to  what  Paul 
meant  by  the  doctrine,  for  we  have  from  his  own 
pen  the  announcement  of  its  principles  as  he  him- 
self understood  and  preached  them.  In  his  Hebrew 
letter  he  sets  them  forth  as  being  faith,  repentance, 
baptisms,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment.  (See  Hebrews 
6:  1,  2.)  In  his  exhortation  to  Timothy  he  speaks 
of  an  appalling  condition  of  affairs  in  the  world 
which  was  yet  to  be  manifested  as  a  result  of  men 
becoming  unwilling  to  endure  sound  doctrine  and 
being  turned  unto  fables.  In  that  same  connection 
he  solemnly  counsels  Timothy  as  follows: 

I  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appear- 
ing and  his  kingdom;  preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season, 


292  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

out  of  season;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  longsuffering 
and  doctrine.  For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  not 
endure  sound  doctrine;  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they 
heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears;  and  they 
shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be 
turned  unto  fables. — 2  Timothy  4:  1-4.  (Read  also  the  for- 
mer chapter  in  connection.) 

We  have  the  testimony  of  inspiration  to  witness 
that  God  and  Christ  are  unchangeable ;  hence  we  are 
held  to  the  belief  that  if  Jesus  should  come  again 
on  the  same  mission,  he  would  teach  and  command 
as  before.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  if  he  has  a 
ministry  on  earth  engaged  in  the  work  upon  which 
he  entered,  they  will  be  found  teachers  of  his  doc- 
trine; for  he  would  not  inspire  nor  authorize  them 
to  pursue  a  course  at  variance  with  his  own. 

In  the  above  charge  to  Timothy  the  word  and  the 
doctrine  are  made  to  appear  as  part  of  each  other, 
which  they  certainly  are ;  hence  it  is  well  to  remem- 
ber that,  "He  whom  God  hath  sent  speaketh  the 
words  [doctrine]  of  God." — John  3:  34. 

Thus  it  is  by  the  example  and  counsel  of  those 
who  have  acted  by  divine  authority  we  are  warned 
to  beware  of  those  who  decry  or  ignore  doctrine. 
If  the  love  of  God  was  manifest  in  sending  Christ 
as  a  doctrinal  teacher,  then  the  only  way  to  show 
our  appreciation  of  that  love  is  by  taking  heed  to 
the  doctrine  taught.  To  ignore  doctrine  is  to  ignore 
Christ.  This  we  can  not  afford  to  do.  We  know  of 
no  true  way  of  inviting  men  and  women  to  come  to 
Christ  except  by  asking  them  to  obey  the  doctrine 
of  Christ;  for,  as  already  shown  from  the  word, 
"He  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  hath 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  293 

both  the  Father  and  the  Son."— 2  John  9.     And, 
"He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life."— 1  John  5 :  12. 

By  reading  the  context  from  which  our  leading 
text  is  taken,  it  will  be  seen  that  one  of  the  great 
blessings  to  be  conferred  in  the  latter  days  by  the 
"marvelous  work"  which  God  is  to  perform  is  in 
enabling  those  who  murmured  to  "learn  doctrine." 
From  this  it  seems  clear  that  the  world's  departure 
from  doctrine  has  been  a  grievous  wrong,  which  will 
require  God's  special  interference  to  correct,  when 
he  will  cause  the  wisdom  of  earth's  wise  ones  to 
perish  and  the  understanding  of  their  prudent  ones 
to  come  to  naught. 


294  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


When  Will  Christ  Come? 


I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And- if  I  go  and  prepare 
a,  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto 
myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also. — John  14:  2,  3. 

This  promise  of  the  Savior  that  he  would  come 
back  to  earth  has  always  been  the  joy  of  the  Saints. 
It  was  their  theme  when  sounding  the  first  notes  of 
restoration,  and  at  that  time  it  provoked  loud  and 
vehement  opposition  at  the  hands  of  religious 
teachers  and  the  press;  but  now  the  conditions  are 
changed,  and  the  doctrine  of  a  literal  second  advent 
of  Christ  is  fast  becoming  popular,  and  all  kinds  of 
speculation  is  rife  as  to  the  time  of  his  appearing. 
Some  have  undertaken  to  fix  the  day  and  the  hour, 
and  have  ransacked  and  distorted  the  Scriptures 
to  make  a  showing  of  support  for  their  figuring; 
but,  to  their  mortification  and  the  injury  of  the 
faith  of  many  of  those  whom  they  had  influenced 
to  accept  their  calculations,  they  have  dismally 
failed. 

Frequently  we  have  been  asked  to  locate  the  time 
— not  the  exact  day  or  hour,  but  within  a  year  or 
two,  or  thereabout.  To  each  of  these  appeals  we 
have  made  answer  that  we  did  not  know  the  time. 

It  may  be  to  our  discredit  to  be  ignorant  on  this 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  295 

matter,  but  we  confess  frankly  that  we  do  not  know. 
It  may  surprise  some  when  we  add  to  this  that  we 
are  not  particularly  anxious  to  know,  but  such  is 
the  fact.  From  the  Savior's  counsel  we  take  the 
thought  that  our  interest  should  not  be  in  the  ques- 
tion of  time,  but  in  the  work  of  preparation.  The 
man  or  woman  who  is  making  it  his  or  her  chief 
business  to  be  ready  for  Christ's  coming  will  cer- 
tainly be  as  near  an  acceptable  condition  as  is  pos- 
sible, let  the  event  occur  when  it  may.  We  know 
of  no  advantage  to  be  gained  to  Saints  or  the  church 
from  a  knowledge  of  the  time  of  the  end.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  there  is  no  time  to  waste  in  neglect 
or  procrastination.  It  is  likely  that  all  the  time 
that  any  man  or  woman  will  have  will  be  necessary 
in  the  effort  to  get  ready;  and,  if  this  be  true,  a 
knowledge  of  the  advent  date  could  neither  add  to 
nor  diminish  the  chances  of  success  in  preparing. 
If  love  for  God  impels  our  work,  we  will  be  diligent 
in  sanctifying  ourselves,  though  we  know  that  his 
appearing  will  not  occur  for  fifty  years,  as  much 
so  as  if  we  were  certain  that  but  a  month  would 
elapse  before  that  wondrous  event.  If  we  are  not 
moved  by  love,  our  work  will  be  profitless. 

It  is  not  likely  that  God  will  ever  give  us  infor- 
mation upon  this  matter  that  will  locate  the  time 
any  more  accurately  than  does  the  word  already  in 
our  hands.  We  believe  this  from  the  fact  that  the 
Savior  told  his  disciples  that  it  was  not  for  them 
to  know  the  times  and  the  seasons  which  the  Father 
had  put  in  his  own  power. 

In  Mark's  testimony,  thirteenth  chapter,  will  be 


296  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

found  as  near  an  approach  to  an  accurate  declara- 
tion as  may  be  hoped  for,  and  yet  the  Savior  con- 
cludes his  announcement  with  the  words:  "But  of 
that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not 
the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but 
the  Father." 

The  closing  verses  of  this  chapter  indicate  that 
the  world  will  remain  without  any  more  specific 
notification  than  was  found  in  his  words  at  that 
time. 

To  us  it  looks  like  presumption  to  press  the 
inquiry  further,  although  some  persons  claim  that 
the  Savior  nowhere  intimated  that  the  information 
would  never  be  given.  To  them  he  simply  meant 
that  it  was  not  known  at  that  time.  The  words  of 
the  apostle,  found  in  1  Thessalonians  5:4,  5,  are 
taken  to  mean  that  light  would  come  later  on  the 
matter,  but  we  can  not  see  that  meaning  in  the 
language.  Here  it  is:  "But  ye,  brethren,  are  not 
in  darkness,  that  that  day  should  overtake  you  as  a 
thief.  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  light/' 

To  us  this  means  that  as  children  of  light,  living 
according  to  the  gospel,  they  would  never  be  taken 
at  a  disadvantage;  they  would  never  be  surprised 
at  a  moment  when  they  were  not  ready,  for  they 
would  be  always  ready  and  always  watching. 

In  proof  that  no  more  definite  intimation  of  the 
exact  time  will  ever  be  given,  we  quote  from  a  reve- 
lation given  to  the  church  in  1831  and  found  in  the 
Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section  49,  para- 
graph 2.  Referring  to  the  reign  of  Christ  in  the 
heavens,  he  declares: 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  297 

And  will  reign  till  he  descends  on  the  earth  to  put  all 
enemies  under  his  feet;  which  time  is  nigh  at  hand:  I,  the 
Lord  God,  have  spoken  it;  but  the  hour  and  the  day  no  man 
knoweth,  neither  the  angels  in  heaven,  nor  shall  they  know 
until  he  comes. 

This  revelation  will,  perhaps,  have  no  weight 
with  those  who  have  not  recognized  in  our  work 
the  restoration  promised  of  God;  but  to  those  of 
us  who  are  found  under  its  banner  it  is  a  settle- 
ment of  the  question. 

We  are  content  to  remain  ignorant  of  what  has 
not  been  revealed  on  this  subject.  It  is  our  business 
to  labor  and  prepare.  It  is  God's  business  to  send 
his  Son  when  his  time  is  ripe.  We  have  confidence, 
however,  in  the  gospel  as  restored  in  these  last  days, 
and  therefore  we  expect  that  Matthew  24:  14  must 
be  fulfilled  in  its  proclamation  to  the  world  ere  the 
end  shall  come: 

And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all 
the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall  the 
end  come. 

Until  this  prediction  shall  have  been  fulfilled, 
Christ  will  not  come.  Human  prophecies  may  fail, 
but  Christ's  never,  and  this  prophecy  is  his.  How- 
ever slow  or  rapid  this  prediction  may  be  in  fulfill- 
ing, we  will  take  all  risks  in  denying  or  rejecting 
every  prophecy  that  conflicts  with  it.  All  our  faith 
in  religion  centers  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  can  not 
afford  to  compromise  that  faith  by  respecting  the 
predictions  of  men  or  women  who  prophesy  con- 
trary to  his  word.  To  us  he  is  the  prophet  of  all 
prophets,  and  we  can  rest  contented  if  heeding  his 
counsel.  That  counsel  is  to  be  always  ready. 


298  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 


Prayer. 


"Men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint," 
said  our  great  Exemplar;  and,  true  to  this  counsel, 
he  gave  in  his  life  a  beautiful  illustration  of  his  con- 
fidence in  the  virtue  of  that  sacred  exercise.  Under 
all  his  life's  conditions  he  seemed  to  find  pleasure  in 
pouring  out  his  soul  humbly  to  the  Father.  What 
is  known  to  us  as  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  a  model  to 
which  reference  may  always  be  made.  Terse, 
reverential,  and  comprehending  in  its  scope  the  rela- 
tions of  the  present  and  the  future  life,  paying  loyal 
tribute  to  the  Fatherhood,  the  kingly  character  and 
the  divinity  of  God,  yet  free  withal  from  needless 
repetition  of  a  useless  parade  of  words  or  phrases, 
it  has  commanded  and  always  will  command  the 
admiration  of  those  who  seek  to  become  intelligently 
devout.  Turn  as  oft  as  we  may  to  the  prayer 
recorded  by  John  (see  chapter  17),  we  can  not  fail 
to  be  moved  to  love  for  the  self-sacrificing  Jesus, 
as  we  read  how  he  canvassed  the  field  of  his  conse- 
crated service,  and  before  parting  from  the  objects 
of  his  care  and  solicitude,  committed  them  and  his 
life-work  to  the  Father.  What  profound  anxiety, 
what  endearing  terms  of  address,  what  tender  and 
pathetic  reference  to  those  who  had  left  the  world 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  299 

to  follow  him ;  what  implicit  trust  in  the  Father  who 
had  given  him  his  trying  mission!  What  disin- 
terested devotion  and  unselfish  aspiration!  No 
higher  reward  than  his  former  glory  is  asked  in 
return  for  so  faithful  a  service. 

Turn  to  the  prayer  breathed  by  him  in  Gethsemane 
and  note  the  intensity  of  feeling  there  manifested, 
yet  witness  the  sublime  entombment  of  self  that  the 
Father's  will  might  obtain  absolutely.  Here  is  a 
revelation  of  undying  devotion,  before  which  we 
may  well  stand  in  reverential  awe.  From  the  begin- 
ning to  the  close  of  his  splendid  career  he  lived  in 
the  spirit  of  prayer,  and  at  times  spent  long  seasons 
alone  in  the  attitude  of  a  suppliant  before  God. 
Note  the  occasion  of  his  calling  the  twelve  apostles, 
how  he  spent  the  entire  preceding  night  in  prayer. 
The  nature  of  his  pleading  or  the  subject  that 
engaged  his  soul  in  the  service  we  may  only  sur- 
mise from  the  character  of  the  work  performed  by 
him  when  the  following  day  had  dawned.  (See 
Luke  6:  12,  13.) 

To  his  disciples  he  gave  command  that  they 
should  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth 
laborers,  pray  for  their  enemies  also,  watch  and 
pray  lest  they  should  enter  into  temptation.  One 
apostle  tells  us,  "The  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
sick,"  and  elders  are  instructed  to  pray  to  that  end. 
Paul  exhorted  Timothy  to  prayer  and  intercession 
for  all  men.  The  disciples  prayed,  and  an  angel 
liberated  Peter  from  prison.  On  another  occasion 
an  earthquake  shook  the  prison  walls  and  opened  the 
doors  when  Paul  and  Silas  prayed  therein.  Cor- 


300  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

nelius  prayed,  and  an  angel  was  sent  of  God  to 
instruct  him. 

In  sections  18  and  21  of  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and 
and  Covenants  commands  are  to  be  found  to  pray 
in  private  and  in  secret.  In  the  Book  of  Mormon 
we  are  informed  that  we  must  pray  always,  and  not 
faint;  that  we  must  not  perform  anything  unto  the 
Lord  save  in  the  first  place  we  shall  pray  unto  the 
Father  in  the  name  of  Christ,  that  he  will  consecrate 
our  performance  unto  us,  that  our  performance 
may  be  for  the  welfare  of  our  souls.  (See  2  Nephi 
14:3.)  We  also  find  from  Ether  1:5  that  God 
chastened  the  brother  of  Jared  because  he  neglected 
to  call  upon  him  in  prayer.  We  are  commanded 
to  pray  over  our  land,  our  homes,  our  flocks  and 
herds,  also  all  that  we  have  and  do.  From  these 
and  many  other  passages  found  in  the  three  books 
it  is  clear  that  prayer  is  a  part  of  the  duty  connected 
with  our  obligations  as  Saints,  and  all  who  have 
tried  the  service  with  fervent  desire  will  bear  wit- 
ness that  the  exercise  is  blessed  in  its  performance, 
and  fruitful  in  strength  and  holiness  in  its  results. 

With  the  neglect  of  prayer  has  commenced  the 
decline  of  many  a  man's  spirituality.  Fervent 
prayer  and  brawling,  backbiting,  and  evil-speak- 
ing do  not  thrive  in  the  same  house.  There  would 
be  fewer  unspiritual  meetings  if  there  were  more 
prayers  offered  before  going  to  the  meeting-house. 
There  would  be  less  irritability,  impatience,  and 
sourness  of  face  and  word  in  the  home  if  the  secret 
prayer-closet  became  oftener  the  retreat  of  the 
members  of  the  family.  Smiles,  gentleness,  and 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  301 

meekness  are  the  legitimate  product  of  such  retire- 
ment. 

Perhaps  no  exercise  has  been  more  abused  than 
this.  It  has  been  brought  into  disrepute  at  times 
by  such  rodomontade  as  the  Pharisee  indulged  in 
the  Temple,  and  which  Jesus  contrasted  with  the 
simple  request  of  the  publican.  It  has  been  some- 
times accounted  a  valueless  and  uninteresting  part 
of  devotion,  because  some  persons  have  misnamed 
their  tedious  and  profitless  speeches  prayer.  But 
prayer,  as  counseled  and  exercised  by  the  Savior, 
is  not  of  such  order.  We  have  heard  people,  when 
on  their  knees,  demean  their  own  characters  most 
terribly.  If  a  neighbor  had  told  them  after  aris- 
ing that  they  were  one  half  as  bad  as  they  had 
represented  themselves  to  God,  they  would  have 
resented  the  charge  as  a  gross  insult.  Surely  such 
folly  was  not  prayer.  There  is  no  humility  in  talk- 
ing falsely  to  God  about  ourselves  or  any  other. 
Prayer,  to  be  effectual,  does  not  need  to  observe 
the  formalities  that  society  has  made  popular.  It 
is  but  the  voicing  of  the  soul's  anxiety  in  the  ears  of 
our  heavenly  Father.  The  Lord  has  said  that  the 
song  of  the  righteous  is  a  prayer  unto  him,  and 
shall  be  answered  with  a  blessing  upon  their  heads ; 
and  the  poet  Montgomery  has  beautifully  and  cor- 
rectly written. 

"Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire, 

Uttered  or  unexpressed — 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  trembles  in  the  breast. 

"Prayer  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh, 
The  falling  of  a  tear, 


302  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 
When  none  but  God  is  near. 

"Prayer  is  the  simplest  form  of  speech 

That  infant  lips  can  try; 
Prayer  the  sublimest  strains  that  reach 
The  Majesty  on  high. 

"Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 

The  Christian's  native  air, 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death; 
He  enters  heaven  with  prayer. 

"Prayer  is  the  contrite  sinner's  voice 

Returning   from   his   ways, 
While  angels  in  their  songs  rejoice, 

And  cry,  'Behold,  he  prays!'" 

In  the  rush  of  business  of  the  pressure  or  annoy- 
ing care,  we  are  too  often  caused  to  forget  that  the 
body  may  be  anxiously  provided  for  at  the  expense 
of  the  soul.  That  is,  we  may  allow  the  one  to  so 
absorb  our  attention  as  to  leave  the  other  starved 
and  lean  for  want  of  that  nourishment  that  only 
prayer  can  secure.  A  little  time  spent  at  intervals 
during  the  day,  as  well  as  on  rising  and  retiring,  in 
secret  prayer  helps  wonderfully  in  rounding  out  a 
healthful  spiritual  character  and  in  making  us 
"patient  in  tribulation."  Those  who  have  not  tried 
it  can  have  no  genuine  idea  of  the  greatness  of  this 
truth.  And  withal,  it  is  our  duty,  as  commanded 
of  God. 

It  may  not  always  be  possible  for  us  to  retire 
for  such  service  at  intervals  during  hours  of  busi- 
ness, especially  if  we  are  in  the  employ  of  others; 
but  in  the  sense  in  which  the  poet  has  expressed  it, 
as  above,  we  can  always  "continue  Instant  in 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  303 

prayer" ;  and  it  would  not  be  amiss  if  regular  times 
were  fixed  in  our  minds  at  which  in  the  midst  of  busi- 
ness care  we  would  lift  our  hearts  in  special  invo- 
cation. How  the  atmosphere  of  our  social  gather- 
ings would  be  thrilled  with  the  light  and  life  of  our 
-  association  and  devotion  if  we  all  would  pray  as 
often  as  we  should  in  our  shops,  and  homes,  and 
fields !  How  our  preachers  would  improve,  and  what 
new  beauty  we  should  discover  in  their  discourses, 
if  we  prayed  for  them  as  often  as  we  ought!  If, 
instead  of  indulging  our  little  proclivities  to  cen- 
sure, complain,  criticise,  or  express  preferences,  we 
should  stop  instantly  we  find  ourselves  inclined  that 
way,  and  go  aside  and  pray  for  that  one  and  our- 
selves, how  both  of  us  would  be  helped  and  nobody 
hurt!  Instead  of  mourning  over  our  loss  of  spir- 
ituality and  our  present  lethargy,  let  us  examine  and 
see  whether  or  not  the  rust  on  our  characters  and 
experience  has  not  been  occasioned  by  neglect  of 
prayer.  Cowper  told  the  truth  when  he  said : 

"Restraining  prayer  we  cease  to  fight, 
Prayer  keeps  the  Christian's  armor  bright." 

If  we  would  be  solaced  in  sorrow,  guarded  in  pleas- 
ure, protected  in  danger,  strengthened  in  weakness, 
faithful  in  duty,  proof  against  temptation,  coura- 
geous in  conflict,  patient  in  tribulation,  meek  under 
revilement,  steadfast  in  virtue,  exemplars  of  good- 
ness, the  salt  of  the  earth — Saints,  indeed,  we  must 
with  other  duties  remember  to  pray  always,  and  not 
to  faint.  If  we  desire  the  labor  of  our  hands  to  bring 
profit,  our  fields  to  be  fruitful,  our  enterprises  to 
be  successful,  and  all  our  engagements  to  result  in 


304  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

good  to  ourselves  and  others,  as  well  as  glory  to 
God,  we  should  earnestly  pray  during  all  stages  of 
our  activity,  and  we  should  engage  in  no  pursuit 
which  can  not  consistently  be  accompanied  with 
prayer  for  the  direction  and  blessing  of  heaven  upon 
it.  "Pray  without  ceasing." 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  305 


Light  and  Condemnation. 


This  is  the  condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into  the 
world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light. — John 
3 :  19. 

It  would  seem  from  this  statement  of  the  Savior 
that  the  head  of  a  man  may  undergo  a  change,  while 
his  heart  remains  untouched.  Light  may  break  in 
upon  and  around  him  and  reveal  better  things,  while 
his  affection  for  old  ways  and  practices  may  con- 
tinue as  strong  as  before.  And  herein  is  the  con- 
demnation, that  he  bars  his  heart  against  what  has 
made  an  intelligent  and  convincing  appeal  for  his 
affection. 

When  conversing  with  the  blind  man  upon  whom 
the  power  of  healing  had  been  wrought,  Jesus  was 
interrogated  by  those  who  were  near  by  who  had 
felt  the  force  of  his  remarks.  They  well  knew 
where  the  point  in  his  illustraion  applied,  and  they 
broke  forth  with  the  words,  "Are  we  blind  also?" 
To  this  they  received  the  reply :  "If  ye  were  blind, 
ye  should  have  no  sin:  but  now  ye  say,  We  see; 
therefore  your  sin  remaineth." — John  9 :  41.  . 

If,  in  reality,  they  had  been  without  power  to  com- 
prehend the  teaching  and  work  of  the  Master,  they 
would  have  been  guiltless;  but  having  understood, 


306  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

as  they  themselves  witnessed  by  saying,  "We  see," 
they  were  chargeable  with  sin;  for,  "To  him  that 
knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is 
sin." — James  4 :  17. 

Had  the  gospel  truth  never  saluted  their  ears, 
they  could  not  be  brought  to  judgment  under  its 
light;  but  now  that  the  divinity  of  its  power  had 
been  demonstrated  before  them,  they  were  held 
under  its  obligations  either  to  be  acquitted  or  con- 
demned, as  their  obedience  or  rebellion  would  prove 
them  deserving. 

How  strange  it  was  that  men  and  women  to  whom 
so  reasonable  a  revelation  was  made  should  abuse 
the  opportunity  it  furnished  and  so  cruelly  mis- 
treat the  person  through  whom  it  was  presented! 
In  the  picture  presented  one  beholds  the  perversity 
of  the  carnal  mind  on  the  one  hand  and  the  royal 
justice  of  the  Savior  on  the  other. 

If  any  man  will  do  his  [my  Father's]  will,  he  shall  know 
of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of 
myself. — John  7:  17. 

Nothing  more  reasonable  than  this  could  have 
been  demanded,  and  yet  they  refused  to  yield  the 
obedience  that  would  have  secured  to  them  com- 
munion with  God  and  complete  assurance  as  to  the 
doctrine  then  being  sounded  in  their  ears.  The  gate 
was  swung  open  before  them,  through  which  they 
might  pass  into  knowledge  and  eternal  life ;  but  they 
deliberately  refused  to  divorce  themselves  from  the 
traditions  which  had  been  committed  to  them  by 
their  fathers  in  the  flesh,  preferring  to  perish  with 
their  traditions,  rather  than  acknowledge  the  divin- 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  307 

ity  of  a  truth  which  required  a  little  humiliation 
at  their  hands.  The  hoary  traditions  must  be  pre- 
served and  maintained  even  at  the  sacrifice  of 
eternal  life.  This  was  their  condemnation. 

The  conditions  which  thus  confronted  the  Savior 
and  his  ministry  then  are  identical  with  those  that 
antagonize  the  gospel  as  restored  to-day.  The 
difficulty  is  not  in  proving  the  identity  of  our  faith 
with  that  set  forth  by  Jesus  and  the  early  apostles. 
That  is  comparatively  an  easy  task.  An  open  Bible 
bears  solemn  witness  to  their  oneness  everywhere. 
But  people  are  wedded  to  the  traditions  and  customs 
of  the  past  few  centuries,  and  are  not  willing  to  con- 
fess those  traditions  vain.  Wealth,  place,  prestige, 
and  caste  are  all  in  the  consideration,  and  to  bow 
to  the  divinity  of  this  last-day  message  is  to  jeop- 
ardize these  important  elements  of  modern  exist- 
ence. To  confess  that  the  wisdom  of  ages  by  which 
those  traditions  and  conditions  have  been  evolved 
was  but  foolishness  in  God's  sight  is  too  great  a 
concession  for  human  pride  to  make.  "Great  is 
Diana,"  indeed. 

Men  will  despise  baptism  as  a  saving  ordinance, 
under  the  pretense  that  they  can  not  see  how  water 
can  wash  away  sin ;  yet  they  will  eat  bread  and  wine 
at  the  sacrament  table,  fully  believing  that  it  is 
essential  to  their  spiritual  life.  In  what  sense  can 
the  latter  minister  to  life  except  it  be  by  reason  of 
faith  in  the  partaker,  who  does  it  because  Christ 
commanded  it  and  promised  life  thereby?  It  is 
surely  and  only  the  virtue  of  obedience  which  voices 
faith  in  Christ  that  avails  in  this  case.  What,  then, 


308  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

of  baptism?  If  Jesus  commanded  it,  then  faith  has 
only  one  way  of  asserting  itself  in  connection  there- 
with, and  that  is  by  obedience,  and  therein  lies  the 
virtue,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  If  there 
is  sufficient  intelligence  in  the  statement,  "Except 
ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his 
blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you,"  to  justify  the  reader 
in  eating  bread  and  wine  at  regular  stated  seasons, 
because  Jesus  used  those  emblems  in  representing 
his  body  and  blood,  how  will  the  observer  of  that 
rite  excuse  his  rejection  of  baptism  as  a  saving 
ordinance,  in  the  face  of  the  words  of  Jesus  to 
Nicodemus : 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God. — John  3 :  5. 

Does  not  the  intelligence  that  concedes  the  neces- 
sity of  the  first  also  bow  to  the  essential  force  of 
the  other?  Does  not  the  conscience  that  exacts  an 
observance  of  the  bread  and  wine  sacrament  demand 
submission  to  water  baptism  when  the  authority  of 
Jesus  is  confessed? 

Why  is  it,  then,  that  the  one  is  so  universally 
observed  and  the  other  discarded,  in  the  sense  of 
being  essential  to  salvation?  Can  any  one  answer 
this  without  confessing  what  we  have  charged — viz, 
that  tradition  is  being  assigned  the  place  that 
belongs  to  Christ?  The  admission  of  recognized 
virtue  in  the  one  ordinance  is  a  confession  of  power 
to  "see,"  and  the  disobedient  under  such  confession 
are  those  whose  "sin  remaineth."  This  is  the  con- 
"demnation,  for  the  same  lips  that  uttered  the  words 


THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL  309 

which  refer  to  the  bread  and  wine  also  uttered  the 
command  to  be  baptized.  The  acceptance  of  the 
one  is  an  acknowledgment  of  the  authority  of  Jesus 
to  teach  and  of  our  duty  to  obey,  while  the  disre- 
gard of  the  other  is  an  announcement  that  we  are 
wedded  to  our  traditions,  and  have  room  for  Christ 
only  where  he  is  not  in  conflict  with  them. 

The  man  who  observes  the  "laying  on  of  hands" 
for  purposes  of  ordination,  yet  ignores  or  denounces 
its  use  for  healing  the  sick,  blessing  little  children, 
or  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  confronted  with  the 
same  evidences  of  inconsistency  as  the  others  re- 
ferred to.  The  very  same  Christ  who  projected 
and  authorized  the  one  also  gave  warrant  for  the 
other  practices.  If,  then,  he  is  the  light  of  the  world, 
and  all  these  are  rays  flashed  from  him,  will  not  each 
stream  of  life  thus  emanating  from  him  carry  its 
proportion  of  condemnation  to  those  who  refuse 
to  walk  in  accordance  therewith? 

If  not,  what  did  Jesus  mean  when  he  said,  "This 
is  the  condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into  the 
world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light"? 
If  we  are  justified  in  concluding  that  no  condemna- 
tion will  follow  a  rejection  of  the  "laying  on  of 
hands"  for  the  last  three  purposes  named,  and  of 
baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sin,"  then  let  us 
remember  that  the  very  same  reasoning  which  fur- 
nishes us  that  justification  will  also  support  us  in 
rejecting  every  other  word  and  practice  of  Christ, 
and  in  making  us  a  law  unto  ourselves.  Let  us  be 
consistent.  If  we  desire  the  benefits  of  a  Savior's 
mission  to  this  world,  let  us  believe  that  there  was 


310  THE    OLD    JERUSALEM    GOSPEL 

as  much  of  the  virtue  of  that  mission  in  one  of  his 
words  as  in  another,  and  let  us  heed  the  counsel  to 
"observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you,"  thus  absolving  ourselves  from  all  fear  of  con- 
demnation here  and  hereafter.  Our  traditions  will 
die  in  time ;  but  ''the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for 
ever.  And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is 
preached  unto  you."  (1  Peter  1 :  25.) 


